


Unwavering Resolve

by coconut13



Category: Soul Calibur
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Romance, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Humor, Other, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 49,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27502054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coconut13/pseuds/coconut13
Summary: A tale of swords and souls, told from the perspectives of Cassandra Alexandra and Hong Yun-seong. Two souls, fearless, stubborn and tenacious, meet on their journey to find Soul Edge. Adventure will find them both.
Relationships: Cassandra Alexandra/Siegfried Schtauffen, Hong Yun-seong/Seong Mi-na, Rothion Alexander/Sophitia Alexandra
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’ve had the idea for this story since III. I’ve always seen parallels between Cassandra and Yun-seong (two characters debuting in II, shadowing/replacing existing characters, kind-hearted hotheads eager to prove themselves, dirty weapon thieves) but I was never satisfied with what I’d write, and I eventually edited the story out of existence (literally, I deleted it). 
> 
> Over 10 years later (I’m dating myself here), I regret deleting it, if only for the outline! (Don’t delete your work, no matter how cringy you think it might be!) But that’s okay, thanks to Soul Calibur VI re-igniting my love for these amazing games and the tale of the two swords, eternally retold…
> 
> Anyway. I’ve taken some creative liberties with the plot, and as Yun-seong is not (yet?) in VI, I gave him the same treatment Cassandra, Talim, Raphael and Tira got, putting him in the story much earlier than he was originally, aging them all up a bit. The SC timeline is confusing, so while my plot doesn’t follow canon 100% (and why would it), it’ll make sense in its own context. Still with me? Let’s do this!
> 
> Please enjoy, and any feedback is much appreciated!

* * *

_J_ _une, 1585_

Sophitia Alexandra closed her eyes, breathed deeply. She’d felt like this before, but not in years. Lucius was nearby, she didn’t want to worry him.

Her chest was pounding, and she knew why. The ninja woman who’d escorted (carried her, really) back to Athens had left her a note, explaining everything. The sword she’d nearly lost her life destroying had been one of a pair… and several shards of that sword were embedded inside her body. Taki hadn’t understood why her wounds had healed so quickly, but there was no way to remove them. But as long as the wielder of Soul Edge was dead, she had nothing to fear…

But her old wounds had been hurting for weeks now. She didn’t need another oracle from the Gods to know this wasn’t good…

As long as she could breathe through the pain, she was fine. It had been her mantra for the past few weeks. 

“I couldn’t find any, so we’ll just… Sophitia?” Lucius asked, looking concerned. Sophitia nodded, smiling at her little brother, but she could tell she wasn’t reassuring him one bit.

“Let’s sit down for a minute, you don’t look well.” Lucius shouldered his basket, put a supportive arm around Sophitia’s shoulder (despite being younger, her brother was much taller than she was) and she leaned against him, grateful for the steady support. They took a seat on the fountain in the middle of the square. 

Sophitia closed her eyes, as the wind picked up the gentle spray from the fountain. “Remember when we used to play in this fountain as kids?” Lucius asked. Sophitia could tell he was forcing cheer into his voice, clearly trying not to show how frightened he was. She nodded, encouraging him to keep talking.

“And Mother would pretend like she didn’t see us, and then a shopkeep would come over to yell at us, and…”

A surge of pain shot through Sophitia, and she let out a cry, clutching her chest. Were it not for her brother, she probably would have toppled backwards into the fountain.

“ _Sophitia_!”

She squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head frantically. She saw Hepheastus bestowing his Holy weapons upon her, Athena wrapping her in her protection. She saw the rainy port in Spain, where she’d fought the pirate, armed with the evil Sword. He impaled her with his short sword, and despite the pain she was in, she’d used the rest of her strength to stab the evil Sword, killing her opponent in the process…

Taki had fought bravely beside her, and when the battle was over, carried her home. She was being carried now… the same familiar sensation of being safe washed over her...

* * *

Cassandra blew a piece of hair from her eyes in annoyance, making a mental note to trim her bangs later. Sophitia and Lucius should be back by now, but swept the concern from her mind almost immediately. _Luce probably met a pretty girl, and Sophie is having to drag him back…_

She stared at the list of orders for the day, and sighed. As much as she loved her father, she couldn’t help but wish he’d chosen a more interesting profession. While Sophitia had been gone, she’d become the new “poster girl” of sorts for the Alexandra Bakery, but her only real contributions had been suggesting placing tables in the bakery, so people could sit and enjoy their purchases.

Unfortunately, it had also resulted in a server girl position for herself, and she’d quickly realized she was not meant to serve, at any capacity. It always happened the same way, too; a customer went on about sampling her _loaves_ , or asking if _she_ was on the menu, some other stupid euphemism, and she’d bit her tongue and forced a smile until her self-control snapped and she’d punched them. Or in one case, chased them out of the bakery with a rolling pin.

Athens had been seeing many travelers lately. She hadn’t seen this many foreign faces in over three years, when Sophitia left for the first time…

Well, might as well get to it. She turned to grab her oven mitts, and tripped over a bucket that had absolutely not been there before, and swore loudly.

Maybe that was why the Gods visited Sophitia, and not her, she thought idly, grumbling with pain as she kicked the bucket across the room with a mighty kick. She’d never been devout, and had only taken a passing interest in the divine once Sophitia had told her about it. Sophitia never lied, after all… 

Her sister had been in her thoughts more than usual today. In fact, if she didn’t know better...

Her heart sunk, as Lucius burst in the bakery door, followed by a tall, blond man Cassandra had seen a few times passing through town. In his arms was Sophitia, breathing heavily with her eyes squeezed shut.

“Cassandra!” Lucius cried. “Get Mother, or Father, or--”

“Sophitia!” Cassandra cried. “What happened?”

“She collapsed,” the man carrying Sophitia explained, following as Lucius and Cassandra led the way to the back room, where he gently laid Sophitia on a bench. “I don’t want to impose, I just wanted to help. You seem like good people, I’ve seen your family down at the market before--”

“Who are you?” Lucius asked, while Cassandra crouched down beside Sophitia, dabbing her forehead with a dampened towel.

“My name is Rothion,” Rothion answered. “I’d say pleasure to meet you, under different circumstances…”

“Lucius, what happened?” Cassandra asked. “She’s burning up.”

“She seemed okay, and then she just… got so tired,” Lucius said sadly. “I guess I didn’t notice. We sat down, and then…”

“It’s a warm day, perhaps your sister didn’t drink enough water,” Rothion suggested.

Cassandra frowned. She didn’t want to be rude to the man who just helped Sophitia, but she was fairly certain what was wrong with her sister…

Sophitia didn’t know how much Cassandra truly knew of her adventures. Her sister had gone on a journey to destroy a sword, and nearly lost her life in the process. The woman who’d brought Sophitia’s body back to the bakery hadn’t explained anything… but there was no way Sophitia’s sudden fainting spells weren’t related. Sophitia had always been strong, active… she woke up at the crack of dawn for her morning run to the Athena shrine. She carried sacks of flour on her own, could out-bake Cassandra and Lucius both, read every book in the house and constantly looked for more… 

Until she’d disappeared. Sophitia left home, and the nearly two years she’d been gone had been agonizingly long for the Alexandra family, not knowing if they’d see their beloved Sophitia again.

In a way, Cassandra thought, they never _did_ get Sophitia back. Sophitia never spoke of her adventures, but her time away had changed her. She’d seen things, done things, things she couldn’t tell her brother or sister about. Cassandra could feel her sister pulling away, and it broke her heart. Sophitia never kept secrets from them before...

* * *

_August 1584_

_"_ Hi, how can I help you?" Cassandra asked with a polite smile. They were close enough to the port of Athens to get travelers regularly, although most visitors weren't Asian, wearing a skin-tight jumpsuit and armor. "If you want to place an order, I can have it ready by--"

"I'm leaving something, actually. Someone, in fact," the woman answered with a smirk, her English better than Cassandra's. Cassandra's eyes grew huge as the woman revealed the contents of her strange bundle... Sophitia, unconscious.

"Sophitia! What happened!?" Cassandra cried, staring at her sister. She looked up at the woman, about to use the rolling pin to the best of its abilities to interrogate, if necessary... but the woman was gone. The wind whistled ominously outside, making the familiar street seem eerie. Cassandra shuddered, hugged herself. Sophitia's arms, legs and chest were heavily bandaged, and her sister was sleeping, her face peaceful. Cassandra glanced around the room once before carrying her sister to a bench in the back of the kitchen, settled down beside her.

_Sophitia... maybe now we'll get some answers..._

* * *

“Cass?” Lucius asked. “You look lost in thought.”

Rothion looked between the Alexandra siblings, and bowed his head. “I had best be going. I don’t want to impose,” he apologized. “I hope your sister feels better soon.”

“Thank you,” Sophitia murmured, and her siblings both jumped. “I’m… Sophitia.” Her blue eyes fluttered open, and she smiled weakly at Rothion.

Cassandra and Lucius would later swear, this was the exact moment Rothion fell in love. They exchanged glances as Rothion nodded, looking flustered, and walked into a wall, missing the doorway completely.

“Sis, are you okay? Luce, go get her some water,” Cassandra ordered.

“I’m all right. Just got a little tired, that’s all.” Sophitia smiled. “Who was he?”

“Rothion, the blacksmith down at the square,” Lucius answered. “He came to help when you fainted.”

“Couldn’t you just carry her on your own?” Cassandra asked, putting her hands on her hips. “Instead of letting some stranger man-handle her?” Rothion had done nothing of the sort, but it was the principle of things… people in Athens gossiped enough about Sophitia. They didn’t need anything more to fuel the flames…

“It’s okay,” Sophitia said, smiling at Lucius, accepting his offered water. “I’m sure he was a gentleman.” She sat up, drank her water, and stretched. “Are there any orders left to fill?”

“Sophie, you should take the day off,” Cassandra said in alarm, but Sophitia shook her head, already re-braiding her hair.

“I told you, I feel fine. Nothing to worry about.” Sophitia took an apron off the hook, looped it over her head and smiled. “Let’s see who can roll out the dough the quickest!”

“We already know it’ll be you,” Lucius whined, following Sophitia regardless.

Cassandra felt her heart sink. Despite what Sophitia said… she felt there was quite a bit to worry about…

* * *

_August 1585_

Cassandra let out a sigh of frustration, staring at the hastily-scrawled orders pinned to the board. It was a swelteringly hot day in Athens, and she wiped her sweaty forehead, groaning in annoyance as the flour stuck to her forearms got caught in her blonde bangs. Her 20th birthday had come and gone, and it was back to work as usual.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to help?" she asked Lucius impatiently. "Why are you dressed like that, anyway?"

Her little brother was only two years younger than she was, but had the tranquil demeanor of a wise old man. He shrugged his shoulders, smiling through a mouthful of bread.

"Your bread is better than mine," he pointed out. "And Nya wants to see me later. I don't want to get flour all over my nice tunic."

"You're going to have more than flour on it, if you don't help me," Cassandra answered, narrowing her eyes. She tucked her hair behind her ear, sighed again. "Okay. The rye loaves are in the oven, time to get the sourdough..."

"Don't forget the sourdough for the Nike family," Lucius added. "He stopped me earlier, on the way back from Nya's house."

"What? But I don't even have a starter for that! Why am I just hearing about this now!?" Cassandra asked.

"Sorry, Sis. I left the order in my other shirt."

Cassandra opened her mouth, closed it, and smiled sweetly at her brother. "Lucius? Can you bring me the rolling pin?"

Lucius had seen his sister wield the rolling pin, with lethal accuracy, and he cringed. "No! Please! I'll help," he begged, already rushing towards the pegs on the wall, where the extra aprons hung. "See, now my tunic won't get dirty! Where would you like me to start, big sister?"

"One of these days..." Cassandra grumbled under her breath. She groaned. Maybe she should find herself a boyfriend, and not have to help in the bakery for a while. After Rothion had brought Sophitia back, the two had become inseparable, even the people in town remarking that it was about time that crazy girl stopped running off and got married. (One unfortunate townsman had been punched for this. Cassandra denied any involvement, but her mother hadn’t believed her, swatting her with a breadbasket.)

“Hey, Luce,” Cassandra said, and threw a lump of dough at her brother, who was preening in the mirror and not listening. Lucius yelped, turned, and scowled at his sister, even as he tried to assess the damage to his shirt.

“What’s being in love like?”

“How should I know?” Lucius asked, surprised. “Is that what’s got you down? Are you thinking about Sophitia, too?”

“You miss her being around?” Cassandra asked.

“Of course. She doesn’t let you through doughballs at me, for one.” He laughed at his own joke, then frowned. “It is odd that she hasn’t been around since your birthday. I was just thinking that myself. Spending all her time with Rothion, the villagers are starting to--”

“Rothion!” Cassandra gasped, pointing. Sophitia’s boyfriend was walking past the shop, peering inside--then smiling sheepishly, seeing the Alexandra siblings gawking at him. Lucius opened the door, and he entered with a smile.

“Hello,” Rothion said, adjusting the large ore he was carrying in his arms. “Just wanted to say hello.”

“Hi,” Cassandra said brightly. “Um, where’s Sophitia?”

Rothion’s blue eyes grew wide, and he looked to Cassandra and Lucius in surprise. “She’s not here?” he asked incredulously. “I thought she was home.”

She hedged a glance with her younger brother, who was looking at her, his green eyes wide. "What do you mean, you don't know where Sophitia is?" she asked slowly. "We thought she was shacking up with you.” They told their parents Sophitia had gone in the wilderness to pray to Artemis, which was such a Sophitia thing to do anyway, their parents didn’t doubt it. But if she wasn’t with Rothion….

Cassandra glared at Rothion. “You know something, don’t you?”

Rothion was kind, handsome and strong, but was not a good liar. He looked uncomfortable. “I… I don’t…”

“Give up the ghost, Rothion,” Lucius suggested. “We know our sister.”

Rothion sighed, and all the fight seemed to drain from him. “I… I promised Sophie I wouldn’t tell you.”

“Oh, you did?” Cassandra demanded. “So that’s just a decision you make, now? Who the hell are you to make decisions for our family!?”

“Please, it was what Sophitia wanted--”

“Why the hell should we believe you?” Cassandra shouted, yanking her apron off (it always tangled whenever she needed to remove it quickly, but she would strangle Rothion with the strings if she had to) and storming up to him, poking him in the chest. “I’ll say this one more time. Where. Is. Sophitia!?”

“She… she needed to tie up a few loose ends. Something needed to be done, it wasn’t finished… please, I don’t truly understand it myself. All I knew was she needed to leave. I wanted to go with her, but the Gods implored me to stay here, but to arm her…”

“The Gods?” Lucius asked incredulously. “Wait, _arm_ her? Why does she need a weapon!?”

Cassandra felt her heart sink, and glanced at the calendar on the wall. It was August… nearly three years to the day when she’d discovered her older sister gone, with her bed neatly made and a note left on her pillow.

“Did she run off again and only leave a note again?” Cassandra asked with a sigh.

Rothion nodded, set the ore down on the ground and reached into his pocket. "She left this, to give you." Rothion held out a piece of parchment, folded once. Cassandra opened it, read her sister’s familiar scrawl.

_Cassie and Luce_

_I have some unfinished business to take care of. Please look after each other, and Mother and Father. I’ll return soon. I love you._

_Your sister, Sophitia_

"That doesn't tell us anything!" Cassandra shouted, shredding the parchment in her rage. "Oh. Um."

“We were in the shrine of Athena. She wished to pray, and I didn’t want to leave her. She’d been so frail as of late...”

 _Frail_ was not a word Cassandra had ever heard to describe her sister. “Let’s go to the shrine, then,” Cassandra decided.

Rothion nodded. “I’ll lead the way,” he said. “Maybe we can find out where she went.”

"Wait, Sis!"

Cassandra whirled, and let out a nervous laugh at the sight of her little brother, offering her the rolling pin. "Wield it with honor, my lady," Lucius said with a grin. “Protect us from the unknown.”

Cassandra swatted at him, and both siblings followed Rothion down the street.

* * *

"The shrine of Pallas Athena," Rothion said. "This is where I saw Sophitia last.”

“Aren’t we… not supposed to go inside?” Lucius asked worriedly. “If Sophitia is gone, perhaps Athena is angry at our family.”

“Oh, come on,” Cassandra began, but realizing her brother was serious, she made a face. "Fine, have it your way. You two wimps stay here. I'll take care of this." Cassandra bounced on her toes, shook her hair from her face, and advanced up the stairs, her tight grip on her rolling pin betraying her calm exterior. _Athena doesn’t like men anyway, so it’s probably best they stay back. I can handle this_.

She’d never been here before, and the stairs were quite a climb, almost as if she was climbing Mount Olympus itself. She was breathing rather heavy by the time she reached the shrine, which was… empty. Athena towered over her, silently surveying her shrine. Cassandra had the unsettling feeling she was being watched. She stared at Sophitia’s weapons, propped against the statue of Athena as they always had been. True, Hepheastus had sent Sophitia on her quest and given her the Holy weapons she had used, but the weapons had wound up in Athena’s shrine as a gift to the goddess of war.

Sophitia had left her Holy weapons…? Had the Gods truly asked Rothion to create new weapons for her, and were those weapons better than the ones gifted to her by Hepheastus himself?

She looked down suddenly, almost as if her head had been forced down by divine intervention, and spotted a small, red shard of metal. Hadn’t she seen these before…? The woman who had brought Sophitia back had had a handful of these, but she’d taken them with her. She bent down, picked up the shard… and pain surged through her hand. She gasped, dropped the shard, and the Athena shrine shook.

“Wh-what the hell?” she gasped, stumbling. The sky had flashing red, and the wind had picked up. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. “If you’re out there, then come on! I’m not afraid of you!” She was, actually, very much so. But her sister had always said courage is being afraid, but stepping up anyway… trust the Gods to watch over you.

Gods or not, Cassandra was armed with her own two fists and a rolling pin, and they’d never let her down before. “Let’s go!” she shouted into the sky, as the swirling pink and blue clouds began to form. The sky flashed, as if a lightning storm was rolling in...

Another red flash of light, and a swirling mass appeared, the wind picking up with it, whipping at her blonde hair. Cassandra raised her arms to block her face, keeping enough of a gap she could see, and watched through narrowed eyes as sparks shot out from the mass.

_What… the hell…_

With a scream, a woman burst through the tear, sparks shooting off her. She landed on her knees, skidded, and collapsed on the ground. In her hands, she held a short sword and round shield… _Sophitia_?

“Hello?” Cassandra whispered, the courage draining from her as the woman panted and shivered on the ground. “Are you…”

The woman let out a howl, looked up, clutched her head. Her screams echoed throughout the temple, and she was quaking with a red energy, seemingly radiating from cracks in her skin.

Her blue tunic and skirt were badly torn, she wore long thigh-high boots that had been shredded to nearly her ankle on her left foot, exposing long bloody gashes in her leg. Her eyes were red, with long, red cracks in her face, looking as though she was weeping blood. Her white hair was tangled, matted and overgrown, hung across her face and down her back in a limp ponytail.

The woman let out another shriek, and lunged. Her weapons weren’t like Sophitia’s, they _were_ Sophitia’s, but her shield was pink, not blue— and her swing was familiar as the sword came down.

Cassandra shrieked, as the impact of the sword cracked the rolling pin, and she stumbled backwards, landing painfully on her backside. She groaned, looked frantically for something to use—and felt that push of her head again, jerking her head in the direction of the Athena statue.

The weapons Sophitia had used, the ones she'd taken on her quest. The Omega Sword and Holy Shield, granted to her sister by the god of the forge, Hephestus—

She swung her leg out, and although her kick didn't do much, the woman was howling, swinging her sword blindly at invisible demons, and didn't seem to be focused on her at the moment. Cassandra grit her teeth and ran.

She grabbed the sword first, nearly dropped it, but as her hand wrapped around the hilt, she felt a strange power surge through her, from her fingertips to her toes. She gasped in elation, whirled to face her attacker, and as the woman swung her sword, Cassandra caught a full glimpse of her face, previously hidden behind a matted curtain of her overgrown white hair—

She screamed, and were it not for the Omega shield in her left hand, she would've been struck down. The monstrous woman, who had Cassandra's own features, let out a shriek as her blade collided with the Omega shield, and was blasted backward in by a blinding light.

Cassandra squinted, stared at the weapons in shock, before she jumped to her feet. "Come on!" she shouted, pointing her sword at this monstrous vision of herself. "Whoever you are, you won't beat me!" She charged, swinging the sword about madly. _Sophitia_ , she thought desperately, _is this what it was like for you_ ? Her hands ached from the impact of the weapons, and she was beginning to breathe heavier, but the demonic woman was howling like she hadn’t been damaged at all. _Is she immortal!?_

With a mighty swing of her fist, she punched the woman as hard as she could. She’d knocked people out cold with her punches before, but it only made the woman pant in furious rage, jumping to her feet again before Cassandra could catch her breath.

 _I’m going to die. She’s going to kill me._ Cassandra’s eyes burned with furious tears as she grit her teeth. _Over my dead body. Or, her dead body. Yeah!_

“Daughter of Nike and Achelous, Cassandra... can you hear me…”

Cassandra heard the voice. _Great, now I’m going insane, too!_

“You are not insane, Cassandra…”

 _Oh, well then._ “What do you want!? I'm in the middle of something!!!”

“Cassandra, sister of Sophitia… go forth, and...”

“Can we speed this along, please!?” Cassandra shouted, barely managing to block another swing of the woman’s sword, grunting with the impact. “She’s killing me! If you're gonna give me power, just do it!!!” Something surged through her, and she gasped, staring at the golden energy gathered in her hand. It wasn’t something she could touch, but she could manipulate it if she wanted. With this golden energy, she could do anything. She could generate lightning, whip up a tornado, even blast apart a mountain. She'd never felt like this even on the best day of her life.

“Thank you!” she cried, craning her neck up towards the heavens, before turning and narrowing her eyes at her opponent. “Let’s go!”

The woman charged. Cassandra dodged the woman’s swing, side-stepped her, and lashed out with a kick, surprising even herself as the woman let out a cry and hit the ground. _She uses her shield as a blunt weapon... then I can too!!!_ With a shout, Cassandra raised her shield over her head, and brought it down on the woman’s head.

The crack to the head seemed to break the woman’s resolve. She fell to the ground sobbing, howling, clawing at her face and hair in her devastated rage. Cassandra slowly approached again, crouching down before her, meeting the woman’s anguished gaze.

“Who… who are you?” Cassandra whispered, feeling deep down as though she already knew.

“I don’t… I don’t know…” the woman replied, her voice breaking. “But… you have to save her…”

“Save who?” Cassandra asked.

“Save her! Save Sophie… I... I know something... about your family... although... although you probably don't... want to hear it..." The woman was stuttering, clearly unused to speaking, and she clutched her arms, as if an icy chill was rushing through her frail body. "Seventeen years... ago... Sophitia... my sister..."

"What do you know about my sister!?" Cassandra shouted desperately. "Tell me!"

"I... it's hard to... remember… there was a castle. Great and terrifying… filled with evil energy. I followed a man… named... Siegfried… Siegfried SCh-tauffen--"

"It doesn't matter what his name is," Cassandra said impatiently.

"It... does... the man... not the Azure... he... saves her... but it's too late... for anyone. Soul Edge... Soul Calibur..." The woman slumped, her thin hands covered by ripped, filthy gloves, beating at the tile floors of the Athena shrine. "Pyrrha... Patroklos... Sophitia..."

"Nothing you're saying makes any sense!" Cassandra yelled, in frustration. "Why should I believe you are who you say you are, anyway!?"

The woman stared at Cassandra, and reached one thin hand up. Before Cassandra could jerk her arm away, the woman's hand wrapped around her wrist, instantly sending flashes of a vision through her.

A man with long blonde hair, flowing behind him like a cape, held a huge, crystal sword. A woman, blonde and beautiful, wearing a white dress, laid on the ground, writhing in pain. The woman held a small girl in her arms, the girl also blonde. Another girl lay nearby, dressed in shredded clothes, with a short sword in her chest, laying in a pool of blood. Her eyes stared sightlessly, her mouth twisted in a feral grin even in death.

Cassandra watched the scene before her, not understanding what was going on, until she saw herself— _herself_! fling herself between the man and the woman, holding her arms out defenselessly. She was sobbing, shaking her head, sinking to her knees before the blonde man.

“Please, no. Not Sophitia. You can't kill her,” the other Cassandra sobbed. The Cassandra before her was dressed in a blue tunic, with black shorts underneath, white boots that reached her thighs, with her long hair tied back by a pink ribbon, white gloves that reached her elbows… exactly the clothes the Cassandra from the future was wearing. _This is the day everything happens. She’s showing me what to expect from my future._

The man replied, firmly but not unkindly. “She isn’t your sister anymore. She’s—”

“What do you know!?” the other Cassandra howled, her face twisted in grief. “You don’t know this for sure!”

The man's voice was not unkind. “I do know. Better than anyone. I... I...”

She watched in bewildered horror as the scene played out before her. Sophitia's body was contorting, and she was crying out in pain. Red energy seemed to be bursting out of her... And her own weapons laid beside her, but they were gnarled, twisted, certainly not any weapons Rothion had crafted.

Despite the immeasurable amount of pain she must have been in, Sophitia twisted around, looked past the other Cassandra at the blonde man. “Siegfried… do what… must be done.” She managed a smile, closed her eyes.

“NO!” The Cassandra howled, raising her weapons, protecting her sister’s fallen form from the man—Siegfried.

Siegfried looked pained. “I can't let anyone stop me. The Evil Seed—”

“But my niece. My sister!” The Cassandra's voice broke, and she wailed in anguish.

Siegfried laid his sword down. “I’m sorry. This is… all my fault.”

He approached the other Cassandra like he meant to embrace her. Cassandra let him take her in his arms, but it was just a ruse. Almost immediately, Cassandra shoved him, grabbed the crystal sword, and brought the crystal sword down with a shriek onto the twisted, gnarled sword and shield laying beside Sophitia.

The red sword exploded in a swirl of blue and red light, knocking Cassandra backwards into Siegfried, who held tightly to her. "Get off of me!" Cassandra shouted, but Siegfried didn’t let her go.

Sophitia's cries had subsided, and she lay still. So did the small girl in her arms. Cassandra gasped. “No…”

Siegfried looked anguished. “I’m… I'm so sorry.”

He continued to hold her, and Cassandra sobbed in his chest, accepting his comfort. But then she looked up, at the crystal sword, and her eyes narrowed.

She shoved Siegfried backwards again, and approached the crystal sword, her face set. The crystal sword was speaking, emitting a blinding white light. “The decision is not yours to make... the light of humanity cannot be extinguished…”

“And it's yours?” Cassandra shouted, grabbing the sword’s grip. “After everything you've done—to the world, to Siegfried, to Sophitia—you dare to call yourself the light of humanity!?”

“Cassandra, NO!” Siegfried shouted.

“ _Get serious!_ ” With her own hands, the other Cassandra bent the sword at an unnatural angle, and the crystal sword shattered. The wind died down immediately, the sky turned grey.

Siegfried moved towards her, looking furious. “What have you done?” he asked.

“What—happened?” the other Cassandra whispered. “Sophitia…?” Sophitia was still, the girl beside her as well. 

"Worry not about your sister, girl…"

An explosion sounded, and a portal ripped open in the ground. Cassandra cried out, reached for Siegfried, who let out a shout of horror and reached for her outstretched hand. 

The portal sealed. Siegfried’s arms were empty, and the other Cassandra was gone.

Then the scene ended, as the future Cassandra released her wrist. Cassandra stumbled backward, woozy as she took in the ravaged form of her future self.

“So… unless I stop everything from happening…”

The future Cassandra nodded grimly. “I'm… sorry… Sophitia… save her! It all… begun the second time…”

“Second time?” Cassandra gasped. “What second time? When does it begin? Tell me! Please, you have to tell me what to do. I don’t know how to fix this!”

The future Cassandra reached out a thin hand, encased in a torn, bloody glove. “You can… I…”

She disappeared before Cassandra could grab her hand. All that remained was a torn pink ribbon, floating to the ground. It had fallen off her shoulder pauldron…

Cassandra fell to her knees, clutched the ribbon, and began to sob. _What am I going to do..._

She looked up at Athena, at the weapons laying on the ground. The future Cassandra had taken her weapons with her. Her shield had been pink, not blue… but she’d done serious damage to Sophitia’s old weapons. _None of this is real. I’m dreaming, I’m making all this up. Maybe… maybe I’ve gone insane. I’ve…_ her hands and legs were bloody from her fight, and the red shard burned as she seized it frantically. 

Her future self’s haunted visage flashed through her mind again. The shrine was spinning...

* * *

The castle was in ruins. Bandits had attacked in waves, and while Soul Edge had made quick work of them, they’d succeeded in harming the Azure Knight.

The Knight snarled in rage, dragging his injured leg as he ascended the crumbling stairs of the once mighty Ostreheinsburg Castle. One by one he’d been betrayed… but it mattered not.

_Soul Edge… give me more power._

The bandits were brave, willing to sacrifice themselves. Their souls had given him power, power he had desperately needed. And now they lay in butchered chunks, a warning to any who dared oppose him.

And yet he knew there was another approaching. A true warrior who would provide the challenge he wanted… the man’s soul would provide him with the rest of the energy he needed to stay alive...

* * *

“Cassandra? _Cassandra_!”

Cassandra opened her eyes with a moan. It felt like someone had been jumping on her head… her familiar room came into view, and she smiled at her sister, sitting beside her, looking worried.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” Sophitia said, relieved. “How do you feel?”

Cassandra tried to speak, but it was like her jaw was welded shut and her mouth was stuffed with cotton. She shook her head.

"You were thrashing in your sleep," Sophitia whispered, brushing Cassandra's sweaty bangs from her face. “Are you alright? You must’ve been having an awful dream.” She handed Cassandra some water, which Cassandra managed to get a good drink of.

Cassandra gulped, squeezed her eyes closed. “We were at the shrine. Rothion, Lucius—”

“You fell and hit your head, they brought you back here,” Sophitia explained. “Cassandra, I'm so sorry. I shouldn’t have been so vague. An old friend was in town, and wished to catch up. I didn't mean to alarm anyone.”

“I...” Cassandra's throat was dry, and her mouth felt rusted shut. “I thought you were gone again...”

Her vision—dream? It had felt so real… Sophitia crying in agony, her death painful and belabored. The small blonde girl in her arms...

“I’m right here. You must be thirsty,” Sophitia said, offering her another glass of water, taking the empty one. Cassandra accepted it, drained it in seconds.

She gripped the blanket in both hands, summoning her courage. It was time to ask questions, the questions she'd been afraid to ask since the ninja woman had deposited Sophitia's unconscious body on the counter at the bakery. She mourned the loss of her normal, boring life for all of a heartbeat, before levelling her sister with a serious gaze. 

There was nothing else for it. She bit her lip and steeled her resolve. “Was your friend you had to catch up with a… ninja, Sis?”

“Yes,” Sophitia said with an easy smile. “Strange profession, right? But I suppose whatever keeps a roof over her head…”

Sophitia wasn’t going to tell her anything without being asked directly. “I had a dream where I met a man named Siegfried. Do you know him?” Cassandra asked, staring up at her sister. “Because you knew him in my dream.”

Sophitia's eyes widened, and she avoided eye contact. “I... yes. A long time ago. But I don’t think he’s alive any longer.” She frowned, sadness obvious on her face. “I’ve never told you much of my adventures... not because I wanted to exclude you, but because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep you safe. You and Lucius both... You've always been so much braver than me, Cassie. When I was scared, I would ask the Gods for courage and protection, but it would be your strength I'd envy the most. Since the day you were born, you feared nothing. When Mother knew she was pregnant, she asked me to promise to always keep you safe. Older sisters were born first to protect the younger ones.”

“That's a lot of pressure to put on a four-year-old,” Cassandra remarked.

“Seems that way, but it wasn’t. Nor was it when they asked it of me again, when Lucius was born.” Sophitia smiled. “You both were my strength. I was fighting to protect those I loved, to create a world where the biggest thing to worry about would be a burned loaf of bread.”

Lucius entered the room, his blue eyes large with concern. “I brought you some food, Cass,” he said, looking between his older sisters nervously. “What's going on, Sophie?”

Sophitia looked at her siblings and sighed. “Take a seat, Luce. I can’t keep this from either of you any longer.” Lucius sat at the foot of Cassandra's bed, exchanged a glance with Cassandra. Sophitia played with the end of her braid thoughtfully. "I'll tell you both, the same way it was told to me. A tale of swords and souls, eternally retold..."

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

_October 1585_

It all began the second time.

Six weeks had passed. Rothion proposed to Sophitia, surprising absolutely no one, and the Alexandra family had a wedding to plan. Cassandra had slipped into something of denial.

_This is what happens when I drink too much ale before bed. I get all sorts of bizarre nightmares._

A nightmare didn't explain what Sophitia had gone through. Nor did it explain Cassandra’s own sudden, frightening strength. Her father had asked for help moving a table, going through his usual monthly routine of moving around all the furniture in the bakery. Cassandra went to lift the table, and realized she’d moved it three times the distance she’d meant to.

Her father stared, wide-eyed, and chuckled. “You’ve always been an energetic one, my dear.” He’d gone about his business, musing if the tables would look better by the window, but Cassandra was staring at her hands in horror.

Sophitia had promised Cassandra and Lucius that her pains had stopped, her old wounds no longer bothered her, but Cassandra knew her sister was trying to hide things from them. She’d gone shopping with Sophitia for a wedding dress, and Sophitia had collapsed again.

 _It all begins the second time… could this be the beginning of the second time?_ She watched her sister laugh easily, shake off the concern of the seamstress.

She had heard the rumors in town, too, of the beautiful blonde swordswoman fighting monsters. It didn't take a genius to know who the mysterious swordswoman was, who defended Athens from demonic beings at night while the rest of the town slept, oblivious to all.

Sophitia hadn't come home last night. Cassandra decided enough was enough. _If she's really going out late at night and fighting these... these monsters... then maybe I can help._ She had no weapon of her own, having left the Omega sword and Nemea shield in the Athena shrine, but the Gods had bestowed power upon her. She had to do something with it.

 _Maybe I’m just drinking too much_. But drinking too much wine didn’t explain the pink ribbon...

She laid in bed, staring at her wrist. She liked to sleep with her window open, and the pink ribbon rustled gently in the soft breeze. It was an innocent ribbon, but Cassandra often treated it like it had teeth. If she took her eye off it for a moment, it might disappear, and then she could go back to her normal life again. It was dangerous to think like that, so the ribbon stayed tied to her wrist.

"Cassandra?" Her father's kind face appeared in her doorway, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yes, Dad?"

"There is something here for you," Achelous said, depositing the package with a grunt. "Heavier than I thought it would be, too."

"Oh, I asked Zenon to save me some books once they were returned," Cassandra said immediately. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest. Lying to her family was the worst part of all of this. She didn’t know how Sophitia had carried this burden alone. She longed to tell her parents, feel her mother’s comforting hand on her cheek, one of her father’s hugs, one of Lucius’s jokes...

“Zenon?” Achelous asked, sounding surprised. “Hm. I didn’t know he knew how to read.”

Cassandra snorted, and smiled innocently at her dad as he left her room. She eyed the package as if it might explode, or burst into flame. She knew very well it was not some books… She opened the package with shaking hands, and she gasped at the contents. Inside was Sophitia's sword, the very sword she'd wielded against her own self.

The shield was cracked, possibly beyond repair. She bit her lip, hesitated for all of a second before making her decision. _Good thing we're on good terms with a blacksmith._

_I will save them all._

* * *

“Oh, yes, Sophitia… grip it like that.”

“Like this?”

“Yes… you’re doing very well. In fact--”

“Well, well,” Cassandra laughed, as she announced herself. “You’re not married yet, Sis!”

“What?” Sophitia asked, looking up from the shield she was making, putting down the smithy hammer. “Rothion was showing me how to use his hammer.”

“I bet he was. You guys are so lame,” Cassandra complained. 

“Be that as it may… haven’t you heard of knocking, Cassandra?” Rothion asked hastily.

“No, she hasn’t,” Sophitia said with a sigh. She paused. “Is that… my shield, Cass? What on earth happened to it?”

“It happened at the shrine,” Cassandra said impatiently. “When I fainted. I… I didn’t want to tell anyone, but I can’t exactly fix this thing myself.” She banged her fist on the damaged shield, making Rothion flinch and reach for it.

“What happened at the shrine?” Sophitia asked, her face falling. “Is this why you wanted to know who… who Siegfried was? Has he fallen to the sword again?”

“I don’t know anything about Siegfried, other than what you told me. All I know is… this thing has been glowing,” Cassandra answered, holding up the chunk of red metal she’d found. “It’s always warm, but sometimes it burns.”

Sophitia’s hand went to her chest, her other covering her mouth. “Give that to me, Cass--”

“I will not,” Cassandra said stubbornly. “I became involved in this too, the day that ninja woman brought you back, Sophie. You know as well as I do that’s why I’m seeing things now, too. I…” She bit her lip. “I fought someone, in the shrine. That’s how the shield got destroyed.”

“Weren’t Rothion and Lucius with you?”

“I made them wait outside,” Cassandra answered.

Sophitia stared at Rothion incredulously. “You let my sister fight alone?”

“We didn’t know it was a fight,” Cassandra said hastily. “We all agreed it would be best if men stayed out of Athena’s shrine.”

Rothion nodded. Sophitia still looked irritated, and she folded her arms across her chest.

“I suppose after all I endured, a peaceful life was out of the question,” Sophitia said, looking up to the ceiling, as if she could see the Gods peering down on her from the heavens. “All right, there is an... abnormal number of Malfested around as of late, which is what Taki wanted to tell me weeks ago. And yes, I have been taking care of them, but it's something I can handle, _alone_. I won’t allow my little sister to go in my place if there’s trouble brewing again.”

“Not if,” Rothion interrupted. “I’m sorry, Sophie. No ordinary weapon could do this much damage to a Holy ore. Whoever Cassandra fought…”

“We might be overreacting,” Cassandra said hastily, seeing the tears in her sister’s eyes. “Sophitia. You’re getting married next week. Nothing is going to get in the way of that.”

“The Gods laugh when we make plans, Cassandra.” Sophitia tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. “However… I think it would be wise if you started to learn combat.”

“Really?” Cassandra asked, her face lighting up. “Are you going to teach me, Sis?”

“Yes. You too, Rothion. But… this stays between us. Lucius doesn’t find out,” Sophitia said warningly. She got up, walked out the door without another word.

“Cassandra… I prayed to the Gods for Sophitia’s safety. I was never one for prayer, until I met her. I asked them to send me in her place. But they never answered, and I knew why… because she was the one they’d chosen, and it wasn’t my place to question their decisions.” Rothion looked sad. “All I can do is protect my beloved. So I made her weapons, I made her armor… and she returned. So--”

“That’s a sweet story, Rothion,” Cassandra interrupted. “But it’s not my way of doing things.”

“I know. And Sophitia knows, too.” Rothion smiled sadly, and put on his smithing helmet. “Please excuse me, Cassandra.”

* * *

The Azure Knight heard the footsteps, and rose from his restless slumber. Soul Edge stared at him, its gaze unblinking. He knew what must be done.

“Foolish human,” he rasped. The man stood before him, tall, carried a thin sword. “You stand before the Azure Knight.”

“You’re a hideous abomination,” the man answered, his voice calm, smug. “Not even worth killing. But kill you I shall, if it brings peace to this ravaged land.”

The Azure Knight laughed, a harsh wheeze. “Brave words from a dead man.”

The man wasn’t afraid, but he should be. He would know fear before he died… He would slaughter this pretentious human, feast on his soul, and continue his isolation. He would not be defeated by this _pathetic human_...

* * *

Sophitia wasn’t stupid. Cassandra hadn’t flatly _said_ she was leaving, but she knew Sophitia was becoming suspicious of her. She was too excited for mundane wedding planning tasks. She was currently stringing pressed flowers along a garland to hang in the Alexandra family garden, around the arch their father had designed long ago, when he and their mother married. _Nobody could ever say the Alexandra family did anything half-way._

Her mind was racing, and she bit her lip as she accidentally poked her finger with the needle for the half-dozenth time. _I need to tell Sophitia what I’m doing_. Sophitia had fought monsters, traveled across two continents, possibly three. Cassandra had studied a map she’d found in the library, and other than reading about the various natural predators in the Caucaus Mountains, she was fairly certain she had no idea what to expect.

Sophitia would know what to do. She’d thought about the quest, probably knew where to go, what would be a dead end. Cassandra had no idea where to go, and with her luck, she’d be eaten by a bear before she’d gone ten miles. _I might as well leap off the Athena shrine, for all the good it would serve._

Cassandra sighed, looked out at the farmland spread past her parents’ yard. Her home. Her life in Athens was all she’d known for twenty years. The ripening cornfields, the cattle, a herd of pigs… She could see no hint of the troubles that plagued her family. 

_If I don’t go, Sophitia will eventually have to leave again. How can I live with myself, knowing I did nothing to save her_ ? _How could I fail to help her, at least try to help her? Isn’t this why I have these strange powers now?_

She dropped the garland, twisted the tail end of the pink ribbon around her finger. 

The day was fading, and the western sky was pink. Haze softened the outlines of the mountains to the north. A few clouds cast moving shadows over the pastures around the castle and over the deeper green of the pine forest by the lake. A breeze blew in from the ocean, salty, moist, bracing. 

Cassandra blinked back tears. She wanted so desperately to tell her family. Her father knew all sorts of camping knowledge, and her mother could think of a use for nearly every plant she found. Lucius had never met a stranger, and his easy smiles made people trust him. She wanted their advice, their help, but more than that, she wanted them to follow her with their eyes as she prepared to leave. She wanted to feel their love, carry it with her.

As for Sophitia… the ache in her heart grew. There was so much she wanted to tell her big sister.

“Cassie?” Sophitia asked, and Cassandra jumped, poking herself with the needle again. She stuck her bleeding thumb in her mouth, waved to her sister.

“Crafts going that well, I see,” Sophitia laughed. “I just got my dress back from the seamstress. Want to see it?”

Cassandra nodded, got to her feet, and as soon as she entered her sister’s room, Sophitia shut the door. 

Sophitia pinned her with a look. “What’s going on, Cassandra?”

Cassandra’s mouth got dry suddenly, and she shrugged. “Wedding day secret,” she managed, but Sophitia folded her arms. Cassandra opened her mouth to explain that she was going on a quest to destroy the cursed sword, but the words didn’t come. _As soon as I tell her, I’d really have to go._ She smiled weakly. _This is ridiculous._

“I’m… I’m leaving,” she managed. She half hoped Sophitia would give her a reason to stay home and be safe. “Sophie, everything has been hitting me all at once. I have to do this. It’s not fair for all the burden to be on you. You’ve done your part…”

Sophitia said nothing, but she looked at Cassandra intently. Cassandra couldn’t read her expression. “Am I doing right? Do you think I should go?” _Why am I asking? I’m going._

Sophitia sighed. “I only wish I could go with you. When will you leave?” 

“Do you think I should go?” Cassandra repeated. 

“I do think you should go, but . . .” He raised a hand, then let it drop. “But I’ll worry. Where will you go?” 

“I don’t know. Where do you think I should go?” Cassandra asked. “Or should I just throw myself off a cliff and save whatever bandit the trouble of killing me?”

Sophitia was silent for a moment. “I believe that an action taken for the right reasons has an unreasonable chance of success. I think your quest will find you, no matter where you search. And… I know you’ll succeed, Cassandra. You’ll see the world, meet all sorts of wonderful people. You’ll become the woman you were always meant to be.” There were tears in Sophitia’s eyes. “Adventure will suit you, little sister. The Gods will watch over you as they did me, and keep you safe.”

“Sophitia,” Cassandra began, her eyes welling with tears, but Sophitia shook her head.

“There will be time for tears later. But for now, we need to get you ready.” Sophitia put her hands on Cassandra’s shoulders. “I’m so proud of you, Cassandra. Go wait for me in the family room, okay? And build a fire. We’ll be there a while.”

Cassandra nodded, wiped her eyes as she ran downstairs. A fire was already lit, warm and cheery. Cassandra sat on the soft, worn couch, pulled a blanket up and wrapped herself in it. Night had fallen outside, but the gas lamps shed a golden light on the room.

Sophitia entered a few moments later, a large bag looped around her arm. She sat on the couch beside Cassandra, and set the bag down with a grunt. It appeared heavy.

“These might help you. They’re several years old, so they might not be completely accurate anymore. But they’re better than nothing,” Sophitia said, handing Cassandra a thin stack of parchment papers. Cassandra took them on her lap, held the top one up to catch the light.

They were maps of Europe, Asia and several smaller maps detailing towns, with maps. The maps of the forests and mountains were particularly frightening, especially one that seemed to be covered with dried blood. Cassandra quickly covered it with another map.

“These will help you too,” Sophitia was saying, digging through the bag. These are for your shoulders and arms, to protect them. I didn’t like armor, because of--” She looked at her chest and grinned, and Cassandra laughed. “But, knowing you and how you fight, you’ll probably end up using your armor as weapons. Try them on.”

Sophitia helped Cassandra secure the shoulder pauldrons around her biceps, and grinned as she hit Cassandra in the arm with a pillow. “See? If they’re secure, they can take a good hit. You never know what’ll be the difference between life and…”

She blinked, shook her head, and dug out several pieces of leg armor. “These tie around your boots. Your knees, your shins, and this part…”

Cassandra stared at herself. “I… I don’t know what to say, Sophie.”

“Say thank you,” Sophitia quipped, and smiled. “It’s the absolute least I can do, Cassandra. Rothion should be finished with your sword and shield by now. He upgraded your shield, and it’s pink now. How fun.” She grinned, and Cassandra felt her heart sink. _A pink shield… just like the future me had._

She forced that thought from her mind. This future was going to be different. It just had to be.

“And then there’s some other odds and ends,” Sophitia continued. “Of course, you’ll find your own way.”

Cassandra nodded.

“I must admit, I blame myself. If I had done a better job…” Sophitia looked sad. “But there is no way to turn back the clock. What’s done is done. You’ll see this thing through to the end, Cassandra. I know you will.” 

The sisters hugged, and didn’t speak for a few minutes. 

* * *

Nightmare watched, his mouth twisted in a sneer, as the arrogant swordsman tried to stem the flow of blood from his right eye. He’d been cut badly, gashed by the edge of Soul Edge over his forehead. He was struggling to keep his eyes open. It shouldn’t take long to finish him off, blinded as he was.

Despite his useless-seeming thin blade, he’d done a fair amount of damage to the Azure Knight. He was fast, struck quickly. Nightmare was struggling to stay on his feet, his grip on Soul Edge weakening. Even his armor had been badly damaged. Soul Edge was screaming at him, a cacophony of noise through his mind. _Kill him! Kill him!_ But the man was a powerful opponent. His attacks were fast, precise, with his long, thin blade. It was difficult to hit him with the large, lumbering sword.

Not once, it occurred to him to let the man kill him. _I can rest then. It’ll be over… it’ll be…_

Soul Edge burned in his hand, sent a wave of red lightning through his body. He groaned, it coming out as a hiss through his helmet.

The man watched warily, raised his sword. But the sword was too thin to block attacks, and when Nightmare lunged at him, the power of Soul Edge coursing through his body, the man couldn’t stop him. With a gasp he collapsed against the crumbling wall of the castle, wheezing. His chest was bleeding, practically caved in from the attack. He’d been impaled on Nightmare’s spiked shoulder pauldron.

“Your soul… is mine…”

The man staggered to his feet, snarled at him, his tunic in tatters, revealing the severity of his chest wound. “Even if it costs me my life... I will kill you!” he roared. “You hideous _beast_!”

 _Kill him. He is foolish and weak, to continue attacking, this wounded… but he is brave. Kill him_!

He didn’t want to. Siegfried Schtauffen gripped the hilt of Soul Edge, refused to move his arm. _I can do this much. I can at least… refuse to move…_

Soul Edge howled at him. _Kill him. Take his soul. Feast upon his flesh. He is just… a pathetic… human_!

Siegfried refused, scrunched his eyes closed. At the very least the evil that possessed him would die with him, if the Frenchman could muster up the strength to finish him off.

The swordsman realized what was happening. With what appeared to be tremendous effort, he let out a shout, ran his sword through the eye of Soul Edge. 

A blue sword appeared in a hazy light. The man squinted, raised an arm over his head.

Siegfried collapsed. The pain was excruciating, but for the first time in years… he was free. Instinct told him what to do, moved his aching, exhausted muscles. He got to his knees, gripped the blue sword, and brought it down on the twisted, gnarled form of Soul Edge.

At once, the blue sword swallowed up the red light from Soul Edge. It was like the swords were entwined with each other. Siegfried tried to stay conscious long enough to watch, but he was too badly wounded. He fainted.

By the time he awoke, sunlight was warming his face. He let out a soft moan. He was alive. Somehow, he’d been spared. It took nearly all his remaining strength to sit up. He was still wearing the helm of the Azure Knight, and it obscured most of his peripheral vision… but he couldn’t see the Frenchman who had saved him, anywhere.

_Perhaps he spared me. Or perhaps he thought I was already dead._

Siegfried moved his arms, legs, his fingers. His limbs ached, but they moved to his own control. He stared at his left arm, badly mutated from carrying Soul Edge for so long… but the glow of the blue sword seemed to have begun to heal it. It already looked more like a human arm than it had when he’d fainted, although his skin was still charred and blackened.

He stared at his body in disgust, recognizing his broken armor as the armor he’d donned long ago. He howled, tore at the breastplate until the straps securing it fell apart, rusted from years of misuse. He tore his gauntlets and leg bracers off, threw his helmet against the castle wall, where it shattered. 

For a moment, he stood there, shaking and cold in his torn undergarments. His hair reached his waist, a long, gnarled tangle… but he was alive. He could control his body, for the first time in so long… he began to sob. _All these people I killed. But… I’m still alive. I’m alive. I survived… again_. 

There must be a reason he was allowed to survive the death of the Azure Knight, the destruction of Soul Edge. Perhaps he was alive to atone for his sins, to cast Soul Edge from this world forever.

He swallowed, forced his gaze beyond the castle. The sun was beginning to rise. Clutching his naked torso for warmth, Siegfried Schtauffen staggered from the ruins of Ostrheinsburg Castle.

* * *

Cassandra stood near Sophitia as she exchanged vows with Rothion. Predictably, Sophitia had found the ancient vows used by devout Grecians in an old book, and they followed the guidelines of that ceremony.

 _May the Gods shine their light upon you, and bless your union_. Cassandra didn’t have to force a smile on her face as her beloved big sister kissed her new husband.

 _May this blissful happiness last an eternity_ . Cassandra was already planning to leave, but hearing the minister’s words, silently vowed to follow them herself. _I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it lasts._

“You all right?” Lucius asked curiously. Cassandra nodded, but knew her little brother was onto her. Sophitia had promised to talk to their parents and Lucius after she’d left, but it didn’t make things any easier. It was difficult not being able to confide in her little brother.

They danced, sang, enjoyed a beautiful day. Cassandra danced with her father, brother, even Zenon, forced all fears from her mind. She could be dead by tomorrow, so she would enjoy her last day with her friends and family.

Sophitia was dancing with their father, a beautiful vision in her golden gown, with flowers woven through her long hair. Rothion stood beside Cassandra.

“You know, I’m your older brother now,” he said. Cassandra turned, and smiled at the smirk on his face.

“Is this the part where you tell me to be careful?” Cassandra asked.

“It can be. I thought this would be the part where you’d threaten my life if I ever did anything to hurt Sophitia.” Rothion grinned, his eyes dancing.

Cassandra smiled, stood on her tiptoes to kiss her brother-in-law’s cheek. “Rothion. Sophitia could do more damage to you than I _ever_ could.”

Rothion laughed, and held his arms out, embraced Cassandra. “Please… please be careful, Cassandra. I can’t wait for our children to meet their aunt.”

“Putting the cart a bit before the horse there, I’d say,” said Cassandra, watching as their father handed Sophitia off to Lucius, sweeping their mother away in his arms. “They all look so happy. Please… please look after them, Rothion.” She wiped away a tear forming. “I hope they can forgive me.”

“They will forgive you. And you’ll carry our love with you, too. Think of your weapons as forged with the love of your family.” Rothion held his hand out. “Come on, dance with me. Tomorrow will be here before we know it.”

Cassandra nodded, accepted his hand. The celebrations lasted long after the sun went down.

* * *

Today was the day. Cassandra woke up long before the sun rose. She was packed and ready. All she had to do was sneak outside, and she was set to begin her adventure.

She stared at herself in her mirror, slowly dressing in a blue blouse, a white skirt, and a matching blue jacket. It was a crisp, cool morning in Athens, and she didn’t want to risk catching a cold. She pulled her tights up her legs, slipped on ankle-high white boots, and pulled her blonde hair back into a ponytail with a white ribbon.

She’d packed a few books, rolled her favorite blanket inside a bedroll, and strapped it to the top of her pack. Rothion’s weapons were safely inside her bag, although she planned to carry them once she was in dangerous territory. She’d left nearly everything else. _It’ll be here when I get back_ …

With one last glance at her room, she stepped outside and shut the door as silently as she could. She looked at the doors to Lucius’s and her parents’ rooms, and blinked tears from her eyes. She hadn’t been able to bring herself to say goodbye to them. Sophitia promised to deliver the letters she’d written, but she knew first-hand a letter from a loved one wasn’t the same as speaking in person. But there was nothing else she could do.

She walked through the house, went downstairs, and was reaching a shaky hand for the doorknob when she heard her father clear his throat.

“D-Dad!” she said, whirling and looking at her father, her eyes wide. “Um--why are you up, Dad?”

“I knew this day was coming,” Achelous said gravely, shaking his head. “Ever since a damaged sword and shield addressed to you was left on our porch.”

Cassandra swallowed nervously. “I have to go.”

“I know you do. I’ve never been able to stop my headstrong daughter from anything,” Achelous said with a sad smile. “This is a gift from your mother and I.” He held out a sack, and inside was plenty of dried, preserved food, along with fresh bread and grains. “At least we were able to prepare you. When Sophitia left, as you remember, it broke our hearts. But our questions were answered when we prayed, and we saw many things. We watched our daughter become strong, and protect those she cared about.”

"At the time, I understood not why the Gods chose my daughter as their oracle. But she was always brave, caring, and determined. The Gods saw that in her, and I see those traits in you as well, my Cassandra…" Achelous cleared his throat, and Cassandra caught the glimmer of tears in her father's eyes. 

"Dad…" Cassandra had a lump in her throat as well. "I can't let Sophitia go. I can't let her go through that--that, again. And I--" The look on her father’s face said it all. He understood. She fell silent, looked up at him.

“The bond between you has always been so strong. I’m proud to call myself your father, Cassandra. Don’t worry about your family. I’ll make sure your mother takes care of herself.” Achelous squeezed her shoulder. “You can always come home, if you need to. Be strong.”

Cassandra nodded, and hugged her father tightly. After a long moment, he let her go, and tapped her chin.

“Keep your chin up, my dear.”

Cassandra nodded, and gave her father one last hug. Then she walked out her family’s door, and didn’t look back. 

* * *

Grand adventures did not come with maps, clues, or any sort of signs from the Gods advising one where to go. Cassandra was quickly learning this.

Malfested were all over Europe, not just Greece. Cassandra had fought dozens by now, and while the first few fights had quickened her blood, given her a reason to demonstrate her considerable new abilities in battle to herself, by now she was just bored. The Malfested varied in deterioration; the truly mad ones were berserk, fought with a rabid intensity, but the ones she pitied were those with some control, some reason. They tended to sob, screech while they fought, as if they hated what they were doing but couldn't control it.

Sophitia wanted to help them, not fight them. It made her heart ache, thinking of her kind sister. _Sophitia, you truly are the best of us all._

The latest swarm of Malfested she'd fought were attacking a town. They were villagers who'd fallen victim to the Evil Seed, as the villagers had described it. They begged Cassandra to help, promised her supplies and food as a reward. Cassandra was going to do it even without the reward, but she certainly wasn't going to turn it down.

She'd left the village reluctantly a week ago, and she hadn’t had a hot meal in three days. Death was imminent, considering she was low on money and had no way to feed herself. Her only option was to find the nearest city, following the directions the kind villagers had given her, and continue doing mercenary work. She was hopeless at catching fish, and she didn’t dare try to hunt anything, what with her only weapon being a short sword. 

She also needed to find Siegfried Schtauffen. Sophitia thought he was dead, but Sophitia hadn't had a soothsaying, Malfested doppleganger from the future appear to her and predict her downfall. Cassandra's gut told her Siegfried was alive. Just because there were no rumors of the Azure Knight as of late... from what the villagers told her, the Azure Knight had terrorized Europe for nearly a decade. _Nightmare_ , they'd called him. He was, rather unoriginally, their worst nightmare. If he appeared in the dead of night, he slaughtered all he encountered. Sophitia had purified him, given him hope, but from what Sophitia had told her, the prayer hadn't worked and he had fallen victim to the evil sword once more.

Sophitia seemed convinced the man Siegfried was innocent, controlled by the evil sword, and the man in her vision had been kind, if not a bit bossy. Cassandra wasn't worried about what would happen when she finally found Siegfried... only that she was worried she'd never find him.

 _What would Sophitia do?_ Sophitia had advised her to keep her ear to the ground. “You’ll learn more than you’d think just listening. People reveal more than they mean to.”

On this advice, Cassandra had gone straight to the port in Athens, jumped aboard the nearest ship, and found herself sailing across the Mediterranean, docking at a port in Africa.

* * *

_December 1585_

This country was called Egypt, and she’d heard several heavily-dressed men discussing recent robberies at the port.

She tilted her head and scooted closer, but one of the men saw her eavesdropping, and fell silent, glaring at her until she gave up and hastily went about her way.

Approaching random people with a description of the man she’d seen in her vision seemed to be a terrible idea, particularly if he was dead, like Sophitia guessed. But if he’s dead, how was he in my future? Cassandra found herself asking that question constantly, and yet had no answer.

Hope came in the most unexpected way, as a band of pirates was terrorizing the small port town she’d wound up in. The proprietor of an inn saw her weapons (perhaps she shouldn’t walk around so visibly armed), begged her to help, and here she was.

“You sure you guys are pirates?” Cassandra asked, tilting her head. The men seemed more like mummers hired to portray pirates than actual violent rogues, but a deal was a deal. She beat the living daylights out of the men (divine power sure came in handy) and while their leader, a brash man with dark hair wielding two metal poles chained together, promised her this wasn’t over, she barely listened to a word he’d said, as his shirt was wide open and his muscled chest was on display.

“You’d better not forget my name!” he shouted.

“It’s already been forgotten!” Cassandra shouted back. And it was.

But maybe he’d put an ancient curse of the sea upon her, because that had been three days ago. The innkeeper had been so grateful for her help he’d promised her a stay as long as she needed one. However, she’d done her job a bit too well… people were once again flocking to the town now that the stupid pirates were gone, and the kindly innkeeper had apparently taken a few lessons on supply and demand.

Suddenly everyone wanted to stay here, and Cassandra’s cozy room at the inn now came with several strings.

She groaned, upturned her pack on the bed again. She sifted through her clothes, shaking green, white, blue and pink garments in hopes a coin would fall out, but no luck. She hung her head, sniffled. _I don't have any money!_

"Miss Alexandra," the innkeeper said firmly. "Please do not make us do this. We are grateful for your assistance, but the rooms are in high demand due to the port being safe again--”

“Thanks to me!" Cassandra pleaded.

“And I am beyond grateful for everything you did. But the room is in high demand… however, you could stay forever, if you’d like to marry me,” the innkeeper offered, with a leering grin.

Cassandra quite wanted to punch him, but she could feel her parents frowning at her all the way from Athens, and sighed. “I’ll go. And I will tell everyone I encounter on my way out, to boycott this stupid inn!” she shouted, slamming the door on the way out.

She made it all of three steps before her stomach growled again, and she sighed miserably, sitting on a bench and dropping her head in her hands. _I’m going to starve to death!_

_Sophitia… you didn’t tell me how mundane quests could be..._

* * *

Egypt was hot and sandy. As boring as Joseon was, at least Yun-seong wasn’t constantly choking on dust clouds back home. And as boring as the windmill had been, Talim’s wind-commanding power meant fresh air constantly, which had apparently spoiled him. 

The only ship he could afford to board had constantly belched smoke, and he’d half-expected it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. He’d been in his cabin when the ship docked, and he’d actually been convinced it was sinking before spotting land out of his window.

Ship travel did not agree with his stomach. He’d barely finished puking his guts out over the rail before the first dust cloud hit him, and that had been the latest mundane problem he’d had to deal with.

His thoughts wandered to home again. He stared at White Storm, wishing Mi-na had given him a sword that could see back home instead, but forced those painful thoughts from his mind. The only thing he could do for his home was get stronger, fast, and the Sword of Salvation seemed to be the way to do it.

Yun-seong coughed, took a gulp from his canteen, and wiped his mouth. He had just puked, so now he was hungry, and because of the recent chaos on the port (apparently he’d just missed a brawl with some pirates) there were no street vendors selling anything nearby. He would have to find a restaurant...

His feet seemed to know where to go, as they led him down a bustling street, and the delicious smell of something hit his nose. _Yes! Food!_

“Hey! Don’t go to that inn!” shouted a girl’s voice, in English. Yun-seong turned, and spotted a beautiful blonde girl, waving at passerby. “Yeah, hi! Avoid that inn at all costs, they peek at you when you’re bathing--”

A man snapped something at her in Arabic, and the girl gasped. “You’re rude!” she cried, covering her cleavage with her hands.

She scowled, crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at more passerby, apparently realizing the spectacle she was causing, being a pretty, curvy blonde girl wearing a short dress, surrounded by all these heavily-dressed people. She looked around, and Yun-seong watched as the spirit very obviously drained out of her; she sighed miserably and flopped on a bench, hanging her head in her hands.

Yun-seong frowned. He knew this girl from somewhere… but how could he possibly know a girl with pale skin and golden hair? The farthest he'd ever been from Joseon was Seoul (before he'd left Korea, at least), and women didn't look like that there, either. 

White Storm seemed to shake in his hand, and he realized with a jolt where he'd seen her. In his vision, she was laughing, but sitting on the bench, her head was in her hands and she looked upset.

Years of growing up with Mi-na, and several months living with Talim, had taught him most women did not like being bothered by strange men, particularly foreign ones carrying large dao blades, but he cleared his throat anyway. 

“Uh, hi,” he said in his best English. She was clearly European, even all the way out in Egypt. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at him, and even with puffy eyes and a red nose, she was one of the prettiest girls he’d ever seen. “No,” she said miserably, rubbing her nose with her gloved fist. “I’m hungry. And now some strange man is talking to me, and I don’t understand the audacity!”

“Uhhh…” Yun-seong regretted his idea to talk to the girl immediately, as she jumped to her feet with frightening agility.

“Do you know the day I’ve had?”

“Uh, how could I possibly--”

“I beat the living shit out of those pirates. I kicked their asses, up and down that sorry excuse for a port, and I told them if they ever showed their faces here again I would use the very power of the Gods to smite them in their place. Do you know how blasphemous that threat was? I could’ve been smited myself for saying it. And you know what I get in return? I get two days at the Mothball Inn and a marriage proposal from a dirty old pervert! Yes, you!” the girl shouted at a man peeking out of a window.

Yun-seong glanced over his shoulder, wondering if he could make a quick exit without this girl attacking him.

“What do you want, anyway?” she asked.

“You were crying, thought I’d see if you were all right. But, uh, you are, so--”

“Really?” The girl’s scowl flipped into a radiant smile immediately, and she clasped her hands together. “Oh, you’re sweet. I guess there are still decent guys out there.”

 _Wow, she changes moods as fast as Mi-na did._ “Umm--”

"I’m starving. Are you hungry? I’m Cassandra, by the way! Cassandra Alexandra. I’m from Greece!”

That was a lot of information to get in thirty seconds. “Uh, hi, I’m Hong Yun-seong.” His name sounded so strange in English, but his stomach growled, stopping him from saying anything else. “Yeah, I could eat!”

“Yay,” Cassandra cheered, giving a little hop in her excitement. “You have money, right?”

“Uh, yeah...?”

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flashback time, to Yun-seong's history before running off. This is long, but I decided not to split it up into two chapters. Also my inner Yun-seong/Mi-na shipper has lain dormant for years and has finally re-emerged so I got a bit carried away once they get their shit together. Story earns its M rating in this chapter so be warned!!

* * *

“It’s the most irritating thing! I walk down the street, minding my own business, and people are just craning their necks to stare at me,” Cassandra was saying. “This isn’t even cold, for January. Athens has a foot of snow in the mountains by now!”

January of 1586? So he’d been on the road for… almost a year and a half now. He’d left Korea in September of 1584, two months before Mi-na’s birthday. And now, even with all the people he’d met over the duration of his adventures, this blonde girl named Cassandra was easily one of the strangest people he’d ever met. She’d switched from hostile to friendly almost instantly, seemingly deciding she could trust him just by his offer to buy her food. She had told him all about her bout with the pirates at the dock earlier.

“What’s that skeptical look?” she asked, frowning. “Bet you’re surprised a woman can hold her own in battle, huh?”

That made him laugh and shake his head. He’d spent half his life getting his ass thoroughly kicked by a woman, he wasn’t about to start doubting them now. Cassandra carried a short sword and matching shield, which she’d told him about, too. “Originally I stole them,” she said proudly. “But my brother-in-law reforged them for me, so I guess I can’t take all the credit for taking them.”

“I stole my sword too,” Yun-seong told her, showing her White Storm, which rarely left his hand. His favorite thing to do with his money was buy clothes (money that didn’t go to buying food, of course) and he’d picked up a belt that had a loop, allowing him to hang White Storm at his side. People often stared at the white, glowing blade at his side, but he didn’t care. Maybe they’d see something in White Storm too.

Cassandra stared at the glowing blade, her blue eyes round. “Wow. You stole it? It must have been expensive. I’m surprised they let you out of the shop with it.” She looked at him suspiciously. “How much other stuff do you steal? You’re a bandit, aren’t you?” She gasped, stared at him accusingly.   


“I stole it from my friend,” he said quickly, not wanting the girl to think he was going to rob her later. “I’m not a bandit. She let me borrow it, and I didn’t have a sword of my own, so I took it when I left.”

“Oh.” Cassandra seemed to stop being angry, and smiled. “Well, I’m sure she’s happy you have it to protect yourself with!”

Yun-seong nodded, laughed nervously. Mi-na would probably run him through with White Storm, if he ever saw her again...

Cassandra changed the subject. As she talked, he found he liked her. He was lonely on his own, since leaving the windmill several months prior, and Cassandra Alexandra was so easygoing, and she had a great laugh. A great rack too—the way she was leaning forward gave him an eyeful of cleavage, and he sure as hell wasn’t complaining about the view, even if that was the most he was planning on doing. She was beautiful, but she wasn’t—

“What are you looking at?” Cassandra shouted, making him jump. She was yelling at a passerby, not him, but her clenched fist shot off gold sparks and the man who’d been not-so-discreetly-ogling her took off in a fast run, nearly knocking over a cabbage vendor.

“Hmph,” Cassandra said with a scowl. She shook her head, blonde ponytail going everywhere, and looked up at him with a radiant smile. “Sorry about that. What was I saying?”

Something about her smile and energetic ways made him think of Mi-na. Not that it was hard to trigger memories of Mi-na. And she was particularly heavy on his mind today.

White Storm seemed to shine more than usual in the sun as he hooked the sword back on his belt. It was a sword, nothing sentient, but it had been his faithful companion for over a year now. A small part of him was dreading the day he’d have to give it back.

It was Master Seong’s sword. Maybe if Yun-seong found the Sword of Salvation (or Soul Edge, or Soul Calibur, or whatever the hell it was called), he’d get to keep White Storm for all his efforts…

* * *

_ May 1576 _

“I don’t know. The boy has to go somewhere.”

Yun-seong had met his uncle exactly three times (well, four, now) and disliked him more with every meeting. His uncle, legendary war hero Hong Gil-jong, was his father’s younger brother, and constantly referred to Yun-seong as if he was something stuck to the bottom of his shoe, even when Yun-seong was standing next to him.

For as long as he could remember, it had just been him and his father. There was a painting of his parents on their wedding day on one of the walls of their small house, and Yun-seong liked to look at it. It was the only time he'd ever seen his mother. She was very beautiful and Yun-seong’s hair was the same dark brownish red as hers, but she’d died when he was just a baby, and he couldn’t remember her at all. 

Now the portrait was rolled up in his bag along with the rest of his things, because his father had died too. Yun-seong wasn’t surprised, as his father had told him this was going to happen, but it happened sooner than Yun-seong had thought.

“Be brave, little _gochugaru_.” Appa got weaker, stayed in bed more. On their last night together, Yun-seong crawled into bed with his father, something he usually only did when the weather was bad outside. Something made him want his father nearby, and Appa’s presence was as comforting as it always was. He’d fallen asleep almost immediately. 

But his Appa was completely still beside him when he'd woken up in the morning. Yun-seong cried, ran outside to find someone to help, but it had already been too late to do anything. The couple who lived next door let him stay with them until his uncle showed up. Most of the locals avoided him, but the couple next door had always been kind.

That was two weeks ago. Every so often he would remember his beloved Appa was gone for good, and he would cry again. If his father were here, he’d scold Uncle Gil-jong for being mean, but his father wasn’t here, and he was alone. Yun-seong began to sniffle at the thought.

His uncle made an annoyed sound, but the other man frowned disapprovingly. “He’s just a child, Gil-jong.”

The man walked over to Yun-seong, crouched down next to him comfortingly and offered him a handkerchief. Yun-seong looked up at the man, accepted the red square, and blew his nose loudly. The man smiled.

“Yun-seong, I am Seong Han-myeong,” Seong Han-myeong informed him, bowing his head. “I was honored to call your father my friend.”

Yun-seong was confused, but at least someone was being nice to him. He rubbed his nose, suddenly embarrassed this kind man saw his tears. “You knew my Appa?”

“Very well. He was a great warrior,” Seong Han-myeong said. “And if you would like, you can become a student at this school, and learn to fight as he did.”

Yun-seong glanced up at his uncle, surprised. He knew Uncle Gil-jong was a captain in the coast guard, but his father being a warrior was completely new information. His Appa had taught him to cook, taught him to be nice to girls, but hadn’t said anything about fighting…maybe that was why he was always telling him to be brave.

Either way, it wasn’t like he had anywhere else to go. He raised his chin defiantly and nodded. “Okay.”

“Excellent, then it’s settled,” Gil-jong said impatiently. “Han-myeong, if he is any trouble—”

A tall young man walked in, with brown hair that stood up similarly to Yun-seong’s. He carried a sword and looked strong, so strong Yun-seong stood up straight. He didn’t want this man looking down on him.

Even Gil-jong seemed to scowl less at the man’s presence, which must mean he was important. Master Seong smiled and gestured to Yun-seong, who was alarmed to be addressed so suddenly.

“Yun-seong, this is Hwang Seong-gyeong, my best student,” Han-myeong said proudly. “Seong-gyeong, this is Gil-jong’s nephew, Hong Yun-seong.”

“Hello, Yun-seong,” said Hwang with a smile. “You seem tough. Master Seong has his work cut out for him, it seems.”

Yun-seong grinned. “I’m really strong,” he said. “I can pick up lots of heavy stuff.” Uncle Gil-jong nudged him, but he ignored him. “That’s a cool sword.”

Uncle Gil-jong nudged him again, but Hwang just chuckled and showed it to Yun-seong. “Its name is Blue Storm. It’s a Seong family sword,” Hwang told him. Yun-seong nodded, as if these words meant anything, and stared at his reflection in the blade.

“Hey, Yun-seong, why don’t you go out to the courtyard and wait for us?” Hwang suggested, looking at Master Seong, who nodded. Yun-seong didn’t even look at his uncle this time. He just nodded.

It looked like a lesson was taking place, so Yun-seong sat down to watch. After a moment, someone poked him. A girl was scowling at him.

“You’re in my seat,” the girl said. “Move it.”

Yun-seong frowned. “Go sit somewhere else. I was here first.”

The girl gasped. “You can’t talk to me like that!” She was actually pretty, now that he looked at her more, but she was scowling at him, staring at him like he had three heads. It was annoying.

“What are you looking at?” he asked defensively. Maybe his nose was all red from crying. He didn’t want this girl laughing at him.

“You,” the girl answered. “I heard a kid was moving in today with weird hair. That’s you, isn’t it?”

“My hair isn’t weird.”

“Is too. They said your name was Dokkaebi. I thought you were gonna look cool, but it’s just because of your hair, isn’t it?”

“How should I know?” His dad told him to be nice to girls, but this girl was rude, so he was pretty sure his dad would’ve made an exception. He hated the name Dokkaebi, too. "That's not my name, that's just what mean people at the village called me. My name is Hong Yun-seong."

The girl opened her mouth to respond, but the door to Master Seong’s office opened, and out came Master Seong, who smiled at the girl.

“Up to no good, as usual, my dear?” he asked, ruffling her hair. “Have you met Yun-seong already, Mi-na?”

_ This must be the Master’s daughter. _ Probably a good thing he kept his rude thoughts in his head, then. 

Mi-na shrugged. “Yes. He doesn’t seem like much.”

“I can hear you,” Yun-seong complained, which made Master Seong and Hwang both laugh as they left with Uncle Gil-jong, who didn’t even look at Yun-seong as he walked by.

“That’s your uncle, then?” Mi-na asked. “My father trained him too.”

“He is, and he's mean. Is Hwang strong?” Yun-seong asked, but the girl scoffed.

“He’s not that great,” the girl answered, rolling her eyes. “I think my father wishes Hwang was his kid instead of me.”

Yun-seong frowned. “At least you have a father. Mine’s dead.” He sniffed and rubbed his nose. He didn't want to cry in front of this girl.

Mi-na studied him for a moment. “You’re stupid, but you’re not scary,” she decided. “And your hair makes you look like a chili pepper, not a demon. Dokkaebi is a stupid thing to call you.”

“My dad used to call me _gochugaru_ ,” Yun-seong admitted.

Mi-na laughed. “That's cute. Bye, pepper head!”

The first few months at the dojang flew by. There was so much to learn, and while he hated his written lessons he definitely took to fighting quickly.

Hwang showed up every now and then, and he was the star student at the dojang. Even Uncle Gil-jong couldn’t beat Hwang, and he was a few years older.

Hwang had a shiny blue sword. Yun-seong wanted one of his own, and studied as hard as he could. His room had a window, and sometimes he’d stay awake, using the light from the moon to read late into the night.

He was also making friends, something he hadn’t had much of growing up. Even the Master’s daughter, Mi-na, had warmed up fairly quickly, but it still seemed like she bullied him more than anyone else. 

* * *

_ November 1582 _

Yun-seong was playing cards with three of his friends, sitting cross-legged in the courtyard. Today was Mi-na’s 19th birthday, but he hadn’t mentioned that to any of his friends, because he didn’t want them picking on him.

He had gotten much taller as he got older, and every time he went into town he saw girls giggling and smiling at him, so he knew how good-looking he was. But Mi-na was different. He and the Master’s daughter were friends, but there wasn’t anything else going on. She was three years older than he was, and with the amount of rich suitors fighting for her hand in marriage, she wasn’t going to look twice at  _ him _ . 

Rumors had been going around for years that she and Hwang were engaged. Apparently he was on official business from the Coast Guard, but Yun-seong heard Hwang had refused to marry Mi-na, and they'd gotten into a fight. He still looked up to Hwang, but he kept his hero worship to himself now. If Hwang turned Mi-na down, there was clearly  _ something  _ wrong with him. 

“You’re distracted. What’s up?” asked Kim Min-jun, Yun-seong’s best friend.

“Am not. Your turn.”

“No, it’s your turn.” Min-jun grinned suddenly. “Look alive.”

“What?” A pair of hands covered his eyes suddenly, and he felt someone pressing against his back.

“Guess who!” chirped Mi-na (who else would it be). “Sorry, guys, need to borrow Yun-seong for a while. But he was probably losing anyway, right?”

Yun-seong scowled at his snickering friends even as he got up. “See you guys later, I guess,” he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. In truth, he really liked spending time with Mi-na, but it was always embarrassing explaining her random abductions to his friends…

* * *

“Can’t you just leave me a note like a normal person? Everyone’s gonna make fun of me again,” Yun-seong complained.

Mi-na shrugged. “That’s what makes it fun. Anyway, don’t you remember what today is?”

“Yes,” Yun-seong answered. He had actually saved up some money and snuck off to Hanyang to buy her something. Her favorite color was green, and earrings were the only pretty thing she ever wore, so…

“Oh, wow!” Mi-na said in surprise, when he presented her with her gift, a pair of dangly jade earrings.

He was blushing furiously, but couldn’t help but feel proud as Mi-na removed her old earrings and put in the new ones. “Don’t tell anyone they’re from me,” he pleaded. His friends would never let him hear the end of it, if they knew he spent his money on a present for Mi-na. “So you like them?”

“I really do. You have a future as a personal shopper, if the whole swordsman thing doesn't work out. What do you think?” Mi-na asked, examining her reflection in Scarlet Thunder’s blade. “My father got me a new hanbok. Like I need another one of those.” She looked at him expectantly, and he realized she wanted an answer.

He cleared his throat and his hand went to his hair awkwardly. "Uh, you look nice." In all honesty she was the prettiest girl he'd ever seen, but he would sooner jump off a cliff before telling her that. He knew his face was still red, but he cleared his throat again. “What did you drag me off for?”

“Oh, right!” Mi-na said. “Wanna spar? We haven’t gotten a chance in a while, I thought it’d be fun.”

“Really? All right.” Mi-na had grabbed training weapons for them both (she just carried Scarlet Thunder around everywhere out of habit), and they took their usual stances before Mi-na lunged at him, aiming for his legs.

He jumped over her staff, stumbled backwards before regaining his footing, launching at Mi-na with a quick combo of kicks. He always got yelled at when he did that during his lessons, but he was fast on his feet and saw no need to avoid using them. Mi-na agreed with him, and their private sparring sessions were both a need to blow off steam and practice their own moves rolled up in one. And they were fun.

Mi-na was tough, by far his strongest opponent here, as he’d never faced off against Master Seong or Hwang, rumored to be the only two warriors who could defeat her. She was fast, and even faster with a training staff, as she didn’t have to worry about avoiding Scarlet Thunder’s blade. She also hit hard, something he knew from experience. 

She jumped backwards, keeping her staff across her chest defensively, and she let out a yelp suddenly. “Ow!”

Yun-seong stopped immediately, and looked at her in alarm. “Mi-na?”

“I’m all right,” she said through gritted teeth, but she wasn’t putting any weight on her left ankle. It looked like she’d twisted it. “Ow. I’m fine, keep going!”

“You’re hurt, I’m not gonna swing at you,” Yun-seong began, but Mi-na glared at him and pointed her training staff at him.

“I said keep going!”

Yun-seong sighed, side-stepped her attack. She swung again, aiming the butt end of her staff at Yun-seong’s face. “Quit holding back, I’m fine!”

She was not fine, and after a few more minutes of this, she was leaning on her staff, breathing heavily, keeping her weight on her good leg.

“Come on, Mi-na, you’re hurt,” Yun-seong argued. “At least hit my ankle or something and make it even if you wanna keep going.”

Mi-na shook her head, blinked back tears. Yun-seong put his sword down, crossed the distance between them and folded his arms. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

Mi-na looked at him then, and he could clearly see the tears in her brown eyes. “My father said because I’m… getting older, he needs to find me a husband soon. And because Hwang doesn’t want to marry me, that probably means I’ll have to leave the dojang once he finds someone.”

She began to cry. Yun-seong did the bravest thing he’d ever done. He grabbed her and hugged her. He was even more surprised when her arms went around him, and she hugged him tightly, keeping her face in his shoulder. He was sad she was so upset on her birthday, but maybe he was helping her feel a little better. He leaned his chin on top of her head, rubbed circles on her back with his hands.

This was probably the closest he’d ever been to her. They'd hugged before, and she'd even made him carry her around on his back, but he’d never actually held her like this. He didn’t know why his heart was racing in his chest either.

Mi-na not being here was too much to think about. He had his friends, his lessons, and the Master and his fellow instructors all praised him and mentioned what a bright future he had ahead of him, but never seeing Mi-na again…

Mi-na looked up at him, took a step back as she began to wipe her eyes. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

“Don’t be sorry. You wanna go back?” Yun-seong asked. He didn’t want to, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say. 

“Not really. I don’t want you getting in trouble, though.” The sun was beginning to set. Mi-na sighed, attempted to put her weight on her ankle, and groaned. “Some birthday.” She smiled at him. “At least I got one nice gift.”

His face was heating up again, but to cover for it, and to keep Mi-na from walking, he did something  _ else  _ very brave. He scooped her up in his arms, and she made a sound of surprise.

“This is easier than piggyback, I’m all sweaty,” he said in explanation, avoiding looking at her as he began walking back towards the Seong complex.

Mi-na said nothing, something that outright shocked him, as he didn’t think he’d get away with this. She felt so small in his arms, and to his surprise, she pulled his face down to hers, pressed a soft kiss to his mouth before she pillowed her head against his chest.

“You got really strong,” she said.

Yun-seong almost dropped her.

* * *

_ April 1583 _

“Yun-seong. Wake up!”

Yun-seong groaned, blinked the sleep from his eyes. It took quite a bit of effort to ever wake him up, and even his father used to say he slept like he was dead. But Mi-na’s surprising presence in his room made him sit up in alarm.  Being one of the orphaned students, he had his own room. Mi-na was sitting on his bed, watching him as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. He thought he might still be dreaming.

"Mi-na? You all right?" he asked.

Mi-na nodded, but she looked scared, and she was biting her lip, twisting her hands together. "I'm leaving. I wanted to say goodbye."

He stared, thinking she was joking, but he could almost always tell when Mi-na was pranking him by now, and this didn’t seem like one of those times. "What do you mean, you're  _ leaving _ ? Where are you going?"

"I don't know where. I'll figure it out as I go. Hwang couldn’t find the Sword of Salvation… I think I can find it." 

She was going to be killed, or worse. He told her that, and she scowled. "Nothing is worse than staying here and getting forced into marrying someone. And doing nothing while that monstrous monkey Emperor plans on attacking our country."

"Mi-na—"

“I have to, okay? This is not a discussion. I just wanted to say goodbye."

“Mi-na...” Yun-seong stared at her, at a loss for words. The clenching in his chest was almost painful, but the lump in his throat was keeping him from saying anything. 

“I’ll be back,” she said, reaching for his hand, linking their fingers together. “Once I find the Sword and save everyone. I’ll tell you all about it, and show you all the new moves I learned. Don’t look so worried.” She squeezed his hand, smiled at him.

He looked down at her small hand wrapped around his, found himself still unable to speak. Mi-na looked slightly disappointed by his lack of response, but she released his hand, began to stand up.

Before he could chicken out, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. She sighed against his mouth before kissing him back. He tried to put everything he didn’t know how to say out loud into their kiss.

When they finally had to separate to breathe, Mi-na was looking at him like she’d never seen him before. “Yun-seong?”

He found his voice, and shook his head frantically, reached for her hands. “Don’t go. Or… let me go with you.”

Mi-na shook her head, but Yun-seong refused to let her go, held tight to her hands. She kissed him, interrupting his protests, and for a long moment he just breathlessly kissed her, grabbing her waist and holding her tightly as her hands twisted in his hair.

Could she possibly have changed her mind? Mi-na was one of the most stubborn people he knew, but if kissing her kept her here, he'd be glad to do it all night. The more he did it, the more he was wondering why he hadn’t done it before...

She pulled back, her soft hand on his face, and he felt his heart sink as she sat back, freeing herself of his hug. For a moment he thought it worked, and she would stay.

"I'm going to come back," she promised. "I'll find the Sword myself and see what all the fuss is about."

"Let me go with you," Yun-seong pressed, but she shook her head. She pressed one more soft, lingering kiss to his mouth, and then she was gone.

He would have thought it was a dream, except he didn’t sleep a wink that night.

_ She’s smart, she’s tough. There’s no way anyone can kill her…  _

A few days after she’d left, Master Seong had asked to speak with him privately. For the first time he could remember, he saw his Master as a father, a man worried sick about his only child.

“Do you have any idea where she might have gone, Yun-seong?” Master Seong asked.

Yun-seong shook his head honestly. Mi-na hadn’t specified, but even if he did know where she was, he knew she’d see it as a betrayal if he told anyone. Even if he was worried about her…  _ why did I listen to her? I should've gone after her. She wouldn't have been able to stop me, and it would be so much fun. Instead… _ Master Seong sighed and dismissed him, oblivious to Yun-seong’s guilty thoughts.

A few days later, Hwang went after her, which wasn’t as reassuring as Yun-seong would have initially thought.  _ Why did he take so long _ ? Yun-seong wondered, as everyone cheered for Hwang as he rode off on his horse.  _ Mi-na could be dead by now, and it took them almost a week to go after her. I should have gone after her... _

He focused his attention on fighting his fellow students, kissing other girls in the village, trying to think about anything other than Mi-na getting herself killed somewhere. But the hollow feeling in his chest wouldn’t go away until nearly eight months later…

* * *

_ December 1583 _

Min-jun burst into his room early in the morning.

“Mi-na is back,” Min-jun said eagerly. “Master Hwang found her! They didn’t find the Sword of Salvation, but—”

“Mi-na’s back?” Yun-seong demanded, and practically jumped out of bed. He and Min-jun raced down to the courtyard, where Hwang and Mi-na were mobbed, and Mi-na was being hugged by her father.

He couldn’t get near her, there were too many people around. Min-jun put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and left.

Mi-na was different upon her return. Yun-seong supposed she’d had her spirit broken, being dragged back by Hwang, but things seemed irritatingly friendly between them since they’d gotten back.

_ Maybe something happened on their adventure. All those nights alone... _

The thought was making him angry and even more frustrated lately… he knew Mi-na was her own person and free to do whatever she wanted. She didn’t owe him anything regardless of how many times they kissed, but while his mind knew this, it didn’t explain the sharp rage that would occasionally surge through him.

He always had a bit of a temper, but the weird feelings of jealousy and possessiveness were beginning to scare him. He threw himself into his training instead, determined to get himself under control.

* * *

_ January 1584 _

Two weeks had passed since Mi-na returned. Yun-seong had gone about his usual daily routine, trying to put her out of his mind. He wasn’t succeeding, as she seemed to be occupying his thoughts more than she ever had, even though they still hadn’t had more than five seconds to talk. It didn’t help that she was still wearing the stupid earrings he’d given her.

Maybe it was for the best. If anyone found out he’d kissed her the way he had before she’d left, Master Seong would probably skin him alive. He resigned himself to taking a step back, concentrating on his studies and joining the coast guard, which was what he was supposed to be doing anyway.

...until Mi-na snuck into his room in the dead of night, and pinched his nose shut, covering his mouth with her hand. He'd woken up thrashing, gasping for air— and saw Mi-na crouching beside him, exactly where she had been months ago, a smile on her pretty face.

"Hi," she said.

“Are you leaving again?” he whispered. 

Mi-na shook her head, pressed a finger to her lips, gestured for him to follow her.

When he finally caught up to Mi-na, he found she'd led him outside to one of the training yards. This one was under a large pagoda, with benches underneath and the lake nearby. Mi-na grinned at him, held her arms out expectantly. Realizing she wanted a hug, he grabbed her around her waist, picked her up and squeezed her tightly as her arms went around his neck. 

"Okay, put me down," she said after a long moment, laughing into his chest. "Yun-seong, I kinda need to breathe!"

He dropped her immediately, hoping his face wasn't burning red (it was, Mi-na was giggling). “Miss me, did you?” she teased.

“No,” Yun-seong answered immediately, but she just grinned and prodded his chest, and he sighed. “Yes.”  _ What the hell is wrong with me? It’s just Mi-na. _

“So, uh, what happened?” Yun-seong asked. Her braid was much shorter, she seemed a bit thinner, but otherwise, same Mi-na. It was a relief to see how unchanged she looked.

“A lot,” she admitted. “I'm sure you can see I didn’t find the Sword, but… you wouldn’t believe the world out there, Yun-seong. All the food, everything to see. It was incredible.”

Yun-seong was intrigued. “You gotta give me more to go on than that.”

Mi-na nodded, taking a seat on the bench, patting the spot next to her. “Sometimes I would look up at the sky, and I wouldn’t be able to believe it was the same sky back home. Everything was so different…”

She grinned suddenly. “I almost forgot! I got you something, since I missed your birthday. I got it in China,” she said, and he unwrapped a leather bracelet, decorated with a few beads and intricate designs. “You like this kind of stuff, right?”

Anything Mi-na gave him, he was going to like, so he nodded and held his left wrist out. She grinned and tied it as she continued to tell her story. He tried to not notice her fingers tracing over his wrist as she spoke.

“There is stuff out there neither of us can even imagine.” He would’ve thought she was teasing, if not for the serious expression on her face. “It wasn’t all adventure. When Hwang caught up to me, I was in the middle of some deep shit… you know what a cult is, right? They were involved in human sacrifice. If it wasn’t for Hwang, I might have been next.”

She grinned, because apparently, Yun-seong’s face reflected the horror going through his mind. “I was fine! I didn’t even make it halfway through before Hwang caught up. He scared the shit out of me, too.”

“What else did you see?” Yun-seong asked, eager to change the subject away from Hwang.  _ Mi-na never used to smile when she talked about Hwang... _

“The Azure Knight,” Mi-na said, her smile fading again. “He’s a monster, Yun-seong. The rumor is he’s human, and was turned into what he is now. Every night he causes massacres all over Europe. I told Hwang about him, but he refused, said we had to go home. I think even Hwang was afraid of him.”

“You weren’t?” Yun-seong asked.

Mi-na shook her head. “Maybe if I’d seen him for myself, but… you can’t scare me with just a rumor. I did fight one of the Azure Knight’s allies. She was a woman with a bizarre sword. I found a small village, and they asked me to help scare her off.”

“I bet you kicked her ass, right?” Yun-seong asked, grinning.

Mi-na laughed, but she didn't look happy anymore. She took his hand and leaned back, traced his fingertips over the scarred skin of her midriff and left thigh. “You feel those? She almost killed me, and she left me for dead. The villagers took care of me.”

The scars across Mi-na’s abdomen were particularly awful, and he felt his stomach turn at the touch of them, but he couldn't look away. The thought of her in pain, alone and suffering…  _ She could have died. She could have bled out, been left for dead in the middle of nowhere, and…  _ She tipped his chin up, and he felt his face heat up as he realized how close they actually were.

“That actually brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about,” Mi-na said, raising an eyebrow at him. “I don’t know how much more my father’s fighting style can teach either of us. You’ve already mixed in a lot of your own moves, but I haven’t, and I was hoping maybe you could help me with that.”

“You want  _ me _ to help  _ you _ ?” Yun-seong asked incredulously.

“Why’re you so surprised?” Mi-na asked curiously. “You’ve always been top of the class around here, and you’re creative. Not that I actually think you’re  _ going  _ to beat me, but hopefully I can try some things out. You in?”

“I was in before you started talking.”

She returned his grin with a bright smile. “We can start tomorrow, then. This is going to be fun!”

“Tomorrow? What are we doing out here now, then?”

She looked at him, looked a bit embarrassed. “Um. I thought you might want to hear more stories, but... you can go back to bed, if you want.”

He didn't want to. They stayed up for hours talking before eventually falling asleep, Mi-na’s head against Yun-seong's chest, his arm around her shoulders.

* * *

They fought nearly every night after. He could scarcely keep his eyes open during lessons, yawning and being immediately scolded, but his mind wandered regardless, thinking of the moves Mi-na showed him, the stories she told.

"I wanted it to last forever," she said, with an exhilarated smile. They'd stopped to catch their breath, lying beneath the pagoda, listening to the raindrops hit the roof. "But at the same time… I missed home. And my father… and you."

He jerked, stared at her. "You did?" He had missed her while she was gone, but it hadn’t even occurred to him that she’d miss  _ him _ . It made his heart catch in his chest.

She nodded. “Sometimes, something would happen, or I would see something amazing. And it got pretty lonely out there." The blush on her face was visible even in the dark, but she jumped to her feet, abruptly changing the subject and pointing her weapon at him. "Come on, let’s go another round!"

And on it went. He snuck out every night, grateful he didn't have a roommate to worry about disturbing, and she waited for him at their usual pagoda by the lake, Scarlet Thunder draped over her shoulder. 

She didn't bring their kiss up, and neither did he. The thought of kissing her again definitely crossed his mind, especially after she’d talked about missing him. But it didn’t last long, due to the fast pace of their fights. If he hesitated for a second she’d pound him into the ground.

* * *

_ April 1584 _

It was the rainy season, not that it had stopped Yun-seong and Mi-na from fighting almost every night. There wasn't enough room to fight under the pagoda, so they usually just fought in the rain.

Today was Yun-seong's 18th birthday. Mi-na had said "see you tomorrow!" with a wink when they'd parted ways last night. It had rained most of the day, so they probably wouldn't get to spar, but he still wanted to see her. His friends suggested going to a bar in town later, but he'd quickly declined their offer, claiming a stomachache. Only Min-jun had seen right through him. 

"Why don't you just ask her on a date, like normal people?" Min-jun asked, sounding exasperated. "It's obvious you two have feelings for each other."

"It is not!" He knew he sounded defensive. "She would laugh and tell me to go jump in the river. It's not like that."

Min-jun shrugged. "You should tell her you like her."

"I don't like her. I mean, of course I  _ like _ her," Yun-seong said quickly, at Min-jun's raised eyebrow. "It's just not gonna happen."

Min-jun frowned. "If you say so. I've never known you to give up on anything that easily."

Min-jun’s words were on his mind as he headed out to meet Mi-na.  _ Even if I  _ did _ like her, it's not like it could ever happen… Master Seong wouldn't let it happen. Not that she ever listens to Master Seong anyway, but… _

_...Master Seong wanted Hwang to marry her, because he's the best student here. I'm the best student here now… what the hell am I thinking!? _

He was obviously losing his mind. Seeing Mi-na would clear his strange thoughts right up. Hopefully she was still waiting for him, even if it was raining and his muscles were still aching from last night.

She was there, and waved at him as he approached. Her smile was radiant as she ran up to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He caught her and squeezed her tightly, hoped she couldn't feel his heart racing in his chest. She always fit in his arms so perfectly.  _ What the hell is wrong with me!? _

"Happy birthday," she said, looking up at him and beaming at him. "Guess what I got you?"

He stared at her, kicked himself for hoping for a kiss. "Uhhh…"

"A beating!" she said with a laugh, wiggling free from his arms and grabbing her training staff. "You ready?"

He was an idiot for thinking any less. Pushing the disappointment away, he took his usual stance, narrowed his eyes. Mi-na readied her training weapon, and attacked first, 

She jammed her staff into the ground and used it as leverage to kick him, brought the staff down on his shoulder. He swore, side-stepped her next attack until he was facing her back, and grabbed her arm. They’d been practicing some grapples and throws last time they’d fought, and he was able to pull her in his arms, pin her weapon behind her back.

She let out a growl, and with some impressive flexibility was able to wiggle free, promptly hitting him in the groin with the blunt end of the staff. She laughed, did a little hop, and swung her weapon, knocking the training sword out of his hands.

“That’s all you got?” Mi-na teased. He grabbed his sword, pointed it at her.

“Nope. Come on!”

She attacked again, and her attacks were more ferocious than they usually were. He was spending all his time blocking, couldn’t get a hit of his own in. His sleeveless shirt and pants were soaked too, slowing his movements down.

He knew he was panting, and judging by Mi-na’s heaving chest, she was as exhausted as he was. She’d beaten him last night, but it had been close, and he was as determined as ever to let  _ this  _ be the night he won.

“Maybe we should switch weapons,” Mi-na grinned. He glared at her. He tried wielding Scarlet Thunder once and the weight had nearly thrown him off-balance. Instead of answering her, he pulled his soaked shirt off and tossed it aside. Losing the extra weight didn’t hurt, but he didn’t think he imagined Mi-na’s brief glance at his bare chest.

He was actually trying not to stare at Mi-na's body too much as they fought. She usually didn't wear much when they trained, and today was no different… except she was soaking wet, just like he was. Her green top was clinging to her breasts and he'd gotten hit several easy times already for getting distracted.

He was hoping she wouldn’t notice, but when he didn’t dodge a blow in time and got whacked by the butt of her staff, she laughed. "Come on," she said, lowering into a fighting stance. “You wouldn't last five seconds out there if you get distracted this easily!”

“Maybe if you had some clothes on, I wouldn't  _ be  _ distracted!” Yun-seong said grumpily, admittedly a cheap shot. She just laughed at him.

“Should I just take my top off too, and make us even?" Mi-na teased, winking at him. “Get your mind out of the gutter and fight like you mean it!”

He opened his mouth, decided against it, and tried something new. He was a lot bigger than Mi-na, and he could usually catch her off guard when he attacked her at an angle, instead of straight on. 

Mi-na laughed. “I taught you that! Don’t use my moves against me!” She leapt up, brought down her staff, and if he’d been a second slower she’d have hit him. But he ducked low, and tackled her, his arms around her waist. She yelped, landed on the wet ground with him on top of her, and they had a furious fight for supremacy, mostly Mi-na kicking and punching him while he grabbed her wrists.

“You ass!” Mi-na yelled. “Let go!”

He made sure he wasn’t actually hurting her, and she scowled, her brown eyes flashing. “Yun-seong, you—”

He’d done it. He’d actually pinned her down. She was straining, but his considerable strength and weight was too much for even Mi-na to do anything about. “I guess hell has frozen over,” Yun-seong said, unable to keep from grinning with pride. 

“You're heavy, get off,” Mi-na complained, furiously squirming beneath him. “You cheated! This doesn't count! I just let you win, because it's your birthday!” He had never managed to beat her this solidly before, and he was ridiculously amused to see what a sore loser she was.

“Damn, I'm just way too good, huh? I beat Seong Mi-na!” In his elation, he’d hardly noticed he was quite literally on top of her… her long legs were on either side of his hips, and most of his weight was on her torso. He was starting to become aware of their position...

She was staring up at him, and she'd stopped struggling. “Uh, Yun-seong?”

"Oh. Uh, sorry." He still made no effort to move, unable to take his eyes off Mi-na’s face. It had been a year since he kissed her last and he didn't want to wait another before doing it again.

Mi-na bit her lip, looked from his mouth to his eyes again. The small motion was enough to steel his resolve, but when he released her hands she beat him to it, hauling him down, pressing her mouth to his in a demanding kiss.

Yun-seong responded eagerly. He pressed against Mi-na, kissing her fiercely, careful not to put the full brunt of his weight on her. After a long moment, Mi-na pushed at his shoulders. The intensity in her eyes made him feel suddenly shy. She'd seen him shirtless many times before, but she hadn't traced her fingers down the length of his chest, never looked at him the way she was staring up at him. His heart was pounding in his chest as he leaned down to kiss her.

Fuck, he was hard. He was normally very good about keeping himself under control, not wanting to make her angry or uncomfortable around him (not that he didn't think about her  _ sometimes, _ he was eighteen and she was beautiful, so he didn't really blame himself, but he did always feel a bit guilty) but there was no denying what was happening.

_ Dammit, dammit— _ maybe she hadn’t noticed. Mi-na's laugh made him jump. “Looks like someone knows how he wants to celebrate," she said teasingly.

Yun-seong was too embarrassed to comment on it. “Uh, I’m—I’m sorry!!” He made to move, but she locked her legs around him and rolled her hips up, bumping against his erection and making him gasp in surprise. 

“Why are you sorry?” She raised her eyebrows. “Don't you want to? I want to.”

He quite wanted to pinch himself to make sure this wasn’t a dream. But it wasn't, so rather than pinching himself, he nodded and kissed her. She responded immediately, and he found himself wondering if maybe Min-jun was right after all. 

He hadn’t done it before, but he could figure it out. He kissed her again, tipping her face up to get a better angle. He didn’t know how long they kissed for, but she shifted her legs around his hips and nudged him again.

"Um, maybe we should move," she suggested with a laugh, gesturing towards the pagoda. The rain had begun to pick up again, not that he'd noticed. He nodded, got off her with considerable effort. They hadn't been under the pagoda for two seconds before they were kissing again, Mi-na pulling him down on the ground on top of her.

She had her hands all over him, one hand in his hair, the other dragging down the muscles in his back, stopping to squeeze his ass. He figured it was okay to return the favor, and kissed his way down her neck, toward the exposed cleavage that had been tormenting him all night. She let out a soft moan and grabbed his hand.

“You can take this off,” she said, shoving his hands inside her top. He squeezed her breasts, ran his thumbs over her hardening nipples, and she moaned and bucked her hips up to meet his. He pulled at the back of her top, untying the damp fabric, and she pulled away from him and pushed him up by his shoulders to finish pulling her top off.

He walked in on her in the bath once, and while he'd seen enough to make her blush and slap the shit out of him, he hadn't actually been trying to see anything. Now she was laying half-naked beneath him, staring up at him impatiently, and he bent to kiss her again, his hands going to her breasts, squeezing them and making her moan, both her hands dragging up and down the muscles of his back and shoulders.

He trailed kisses down her neck and across her breasts, and she actually moaned his name as he caught her nipple in his mouth, squeezing her other breast with his free hand. She was writhing underneath him, her soft moans all the encouragement he needed to keep going. Mi-na, however, was impatient as always, and was grinding her hips against his, locking her legs around his back. “Inside me, now,” she ordered, her chest heaving, and he felt a surge of pride at her breathless, disheveled appearance, aware he probably looked about the same. He could still hardly believe this was actually happening. 

“Are you sure?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound as nervous as he felt as he awkwardly pulled at his pants with his opposite hand while Mi-na kicked her split skirt and underwear off.

“Does this feel  _ unsure _ to you?” Mi-na asked, grabbing his hand, putting it between her legs, showing him how to touch her. He groaned, unable to believe how wet she was as he slowly pushed his fingers inside her. She let out a soft moan even as she pulled his pants open, and when his erection popped free and folded up against his chest, she reached for it, pumped her hand a few times, matched the thrusts of his fingers inside her. “Hurry up.”

He pushed her hands away. “All right, I got it.” Mi-na was sitting up on her elbows, and he was all too aware of her gaze as he lined his cock up with her entrance. 

He pushed inside her then, and she gasped, grabbing the back of his head and fisting her hand in his hair, as he basically toppled over on top of her. It was the best sound he’d ever heard. He didn’t move for a moment, willing himself to not immediately lose control at how wet and tight she was—

“Hey,” Mi-na said impatiently, raising her hips, making him slide deeper into her. “You’re not done already, are you?”

“No! Shut up!” Yun-seong sputtered. He was literally inside her and she was still making fun of him. He felt her smirk against his shoulder, and pulled out of her before slowly sliding back in, her soft, approving sighs and moans spurring him on as he set a pace.

“Go faster,” Mi-na said, somewhere between an order and a plea, dragging her hand up his back, her other hand fisting in his hair as she pulled him down for another messy kiss. He nodded, increased his pace again as she re-wrapped her legs around him and shifted her hips impatiently.

"Harder!" Mi-na complained. 

“Can you stop!? I’m trying to make it last!”

That made her laugh. “It’s not about lasting, it’s about enjoying.”

“I am!”

“Me too! But I’d enjoy it more if you—” He kissed her, to shut her up mostly (but he also very much enjoyed kissing her, if he was being honest with himself), grabbed her hips and pounded into her, her gasps and moans increasing in volume as he did. She tightened her legs around him, raising her hips and meeting his thrusts halfway.

If she was doing that, he must be doing something right. He kept his fast pace, and finally it became too much for Mi-na. With a gasp of his name, she clutched onto him, dug her nails into his back and her soft groan, along with her clenching around him, made him groan and come as well, his face in her shoulder as he spent himself inside of her. 

He was perfectly content to lay on top of Mi-na and hold her until he died, but she pushed at his shoulder. “You’re heavy,” she complained, and he rolled over obediently, pulling out of her and collapsing on his back. 

Mi-na seemed to realize something, and she gasped, smacked him. “Did you just… Yun-seong!”

“Ow! What?” Yun-seong whined.

“You’re not supposed to finish inside of me! What’s the matter with you?!”

It took a lot of effort, but he sat up on his elbows and scowled at her. “Where else was I gonna do it?”

“On my stomach, or something,” Mi-na complained, and he felt his face heat up at the mental image of doing  _ that _ on Mi-na’s flat stomach. “You idiot!”

“How was I supposed to know!? Draw me a map or something next time.”

“ _Next_ _time_?” Mi-na asked. He realized his mistake far too late, as Mi-na put her hands on his chest, a grin slowly spreading across her face. She'd found something _better_ to tease him about. "That _was_ your first time, wasn't it?” she asked. It wasn’t so much a question as it was a statement.

He said nothing, remained silent, thinking that would be best, but she wasn’t laughing, just seemed surprised. “I was just playing around earlier. You had seriously  _ never _ done this before?” 

“How many times have  _ you _ done it?” he countered. “Shouldn’t you be saving it for your future husband?”

She laughed. “You know me too well. As for  _ how many— _ ”

“No, I don’t want to know," he decided with a groan. He was mostly just hoping it wasn’t Hwang. Or that the other guy(s) hadn't been better than he was.

"Oh, don’t pout. That felt great. We should’ve done that weeks ago." She grinned. "You should have said something. Your first time should be special."

He didn't trust himself to speak, so he did not. However Mi-na seemed to read his mind like she always did, and she kissed him for a long moment before tossing her braid over her shoulder and snuggling right beside him, wrapping her arm around his chest.

"Happy birthday," she said, pressing a soft kiss to his neck. It was what she always did; torment him mercilessly, then be so affectionate it would make his heart do a flip.

He was still in a bit of a daze, but he wasn’t complaining at all as he put his arms around Mi-na sleepily. The rain had yet to stop, and laying under the pagoda roof with Mi-na in his arms, his eyelids were growing heavy…

They woke up hours later, still naked and wrapped around each other, as the sun began to rise on the horizon. Mi-na said something about “another round”, but when he reached for his sword (and his abandoned pants), Mi-na had laughed and shoved him on his back, kissing him.

“Not that kind of round,” she whispered, straddling his hips and lowering herself down on his cock with a soft moan. Yun-seong immediately decided he liked  _ this _ kind of sparring much more than their  _ other _ kind.

* * *

_ June 1584 _

After he’d brought Mi-na back, Hwang had left almost immediately, something to do with the Japanese invasion. He’d been gone since January, and now in June, he was scheduled to return. Half the dojang was gathered at the Hwangseo Palace to greet him, including Yun-seong.

It had been two months since he and Mi-na had spent any time together. She still smiled at him if he ran into her anywhere, but they weren’t sparring any more. He wondered if she was engaged to someone, but the way word traveled around here, it was unlikely to stay a secret.

“If Master Hwang is back, he’s probably here for Lady Mi-na’s hand,” one of the students commented, and nudged him. “Aren’t you friends with her, Hong?”

Yun-seong made a non-committal shrug, but his mouth had gotten all dry.

At that moment, Mi-na entered with her father, and for a long moment, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was dressed as formally as he’d ever seen her, wearing a floral silk hanbok. The flowers were green, pink and orange, suiting her perfectly but not taking any attention from her beautiful face. Her long hair was in a bun with flowers woven in. And she was still wearing those stupid earrings. He supposed she didn’t have much jewelry to choose from, but it both embarrassed him and made him happy to see the familiar flash of green against Mi-na’s dark hair.

She also didn’t look happy, but that didn’t surprise him one bit. He knew she was seething with rage inside and wanted to rip the beautiful hanbok off and fight herself, beat half the men in the room and prove how good she really was. Yun-seong wondered if Master Seong would ever realize his best student was actually his daughter, not Hwang.  _ This stupid reception should be for Mi-na, not him. _

“Amazing how she looks like a different person like that,” Min-jun commented, nudging Yun-seong. “Right?”

Yun-seong shrugged, made a non-committal sound. “I think she looks the same.” She was beautiful regardless of how much makeup they put on her, or what she was wearing… especially when she wasn't wearing anything at all. Except he was  _ not _ supposed to be thinking about Mi-na like that. 

He actually wasn’t sure how much he should be looking at Mi-na, and he was also fairly certain he shouldn’t want to punch his friends for gawking at her. But perhaps it would be even more obvious if he didn’t look at her. 

_ Okay, one more look won’t hurt. _ She was looking right at him, and caught his eye. She winked at him, and he knew he was blushing as he looked away from her. His friends were talking again, and he turned to join them, eager for the distraction. Unfortunately, they were talking about Mi-na, too.

“She sure cleans up well. If Master Seong wasn’t so protective of her, I’d ask for her hand.” Kim Cheol-kwan was from a rich family, probably the exact kind of family Master Seong wanted Mi-na to marry into. Yun-seong became very interested in his hands instead. "Too bad she’s practically promised to Master Hwang.”

Pak Jung-nam snorted. “ _Practically_ _promised_? Better tell Master Hwang he's getting Hong's leftovers.”

Yun-seong ignored that, even as Min-jun shifted beside him. He was aware the other seven students had turned to stare at him.

"I hear Hong's been giving it to her for weeks now," Jung-nam continued, raising his voice.

“What?” Yun-seong asked incredulously. “No, I haven’t!”  _ Not for weeks, anyway. _ But it was possible a sneak like Jung-nam could have followed him and seen them… with this many trained warriors around, even he wouldn’t make it out of the building alive if Master Seong got a word of what he’d done with Mi-na.

“He would have said something,” Min-jun agreed, staring at Yun-seong with wide eyes regardless.

Jung-nam shrugged. “He was sneaking out and meeting her every night.”

“Yeah, to train,” Yun-seong answered hotly. "She's tough. Not that  _ you _ ever stood a chance against her."

Jung-nam laughed. “Awfully defensive. You follow her around everywhere, you do everything she tells you. She’s got you eating out of her hand. And now you're fucking her? You playing the long game, Hong?”

“No? What the hell are you talking about?” Yun-seong didn't bother hiding his irritation. Jung-nam smirked, said nothing, his point apparently proven.

As it turned out, Hwang was not here for Mi-na’s hand, instead here to recruit more soldiers for the war against the Japanese. Yun-seong hated how relieved he felt, and that combined with Jung-nam making him angry had him receive top marks from his demonstration. He knew Hwang was watching, and resisted the urge to show off.

He earned applause from everyone in attendance, including Master Seong and even Hwang. Uncle Gil-jong wasn’t there, but that was no real surprise.

He hedged a glance at Mi-na, and she was beaming at him. He felt his grin get bigger, and when he looked at her again, she raised an eyebrow at him.

Maybe she wanted to talk to him. Or, maybe she wanted something else. He went out to their usual spot that night, and sure enough, she was there. 

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Mi-na said with a grin. 

“With my demonstration?” Yun-seong asked eagerly.

“I meant your non-communication skills, but that, too! Sorry your uncle didn’t show up.” Mi-na patted the spot beside her, and he sat down.

Yun-seong shrugged. “I didn’t think he was going to anyway. What did Hwang think?”

“Who cares what Hwang thinks?” Mi-na asked with an eye roll. “You have the biggest crush on him. Maybe my father should marry  _ you _ to him.”

“Then even  _ I _ would be married before you are.” He grinned at the look on her face.

“Quick on your feet, huh? When did that happen?” She sighed, staring out at the lake. “I don’t wish to still be kids. But… I don’t want everything to change.”

“Change isn’t all bad.”

“Like what?”

“I’m taller than you are now.”

Mi-na shoved him, predictably, but what was completely unexpected was what she did next, sighing and leaning her head on his shoulder. He felt his face grow hot immediately, and realized he did not know what to do with his hands, which suddenly seemed so giant and awkward—

“You did really well today. I heard Father talking with some of the generals about you. You might be leaving soon."

It was odd. For as long as he could remember, he wanted to join the coast guard, fight to protect his homeland... but lately when he pictured his home, Mi-na came to mind.

He didn’t mention that to her, instead wrapping his arm around her shoulders. He wasn’t supposed to think that way about her, especially if people at the dojang were starting to notice…

* * *

_ August 1584 _

“What the hell is that?”

“You know what that is?”

Jung-nam had something, and was showing it off. Min-jun was craning his neck, and Yun-seong almost killed him as a result.

“Would you pay attention?” Yun-seong complained. Best friend or not, Min-jun was way too easily distracted to take seriously as a warrior. Guy had a good future being a husband and father ahead of him, because he’d probably get skewered instantly if he ever made it on the front lines.

“Sorry,” Min-jun said. “Pak took something from Master Hwang’s things.”

“He what?” Yun-seong asked. Hwang was an irritating showoff, but he didn’t deserve to have his things picked through by Jung-nam’s greedy ass. “What the hell? He’s stealing shit now?”

“Wanna go check it out?” Min-jun suggested. “We get it back, Master Hwang would probably appreciate it.

“You just don’t wanna lose,” Yun-seong complained.

“You were going to beat me anyway,” Min-jun answered, and took off in a jog in the direction of the gathering students. Yun-seong rolled his eyes before following his friend.

Jung-nam was holding something in his palm, something red. It looked like a piece of metal, and Yun-seong squinted at it.

“This was in Master Hwang’s bag. It glows, and it’s hot,” Jung-nam said. “What the hell is it?”

“It’s not yours, is what,” Yun-seong answered loudly. “Give it back.”

Jung-nam laughed. “Lady Mi-na not enough for you, Hong? You want Master Hwang, too?”

“Shut the hell up and fight,” Yun-seong snapped. There was only one way to shut Jung-nam up, and Yun-seong was more than willing to be the one to do it. Jung-nam was tough, but Yun-seong had never lost to him, and didn’t plan to start now.

Jung-nam was laughing as he swung at Yun-seong, but as Yun-seong blocked his attacks, his grin was turning into a snarl. He raised the red shard in his hand, and Yun-seong squeezed his eyes shut, as the red glare blinded him. He grunted as Jung-nam’s kick collided with his chest, and he stumbled backwards.

“You cheating son-of-a—” Min-jun shouted, while the other guys screamed their disapproval as well.

“That’s what I thought,” Jung-nam said, tossing the red shard aside and gripping his sword two-handed. Yun-seong cracked his eye open, but had no time to wonder why the metal shard kept glowing. Jung-nam swung at him, his attack frenzied and hard to predict.

He blocked, but Jung-nam countered quickly, swinging his blade and getting a good slice at Yun-seong’s chest. Yun-seong briefly realized he might be in trouble when Jung-nam attacked again, and he narrowly avoided the swing before kicking Jung-nam clean across their makeshift arena.

Jung-nam got up, panting, and ran at him again. Yun-seong blocked several strikes, parried with his own, and threw back his head and laughed as Jung-nam ate dirt again. “Ha! Hurry up and get back up here. Unless you’re done,” he added, turning his head as the red shard gleamed again. “What the hell is that thing, anyway?”

He turned, and Jung-nam’s sword hit him in the arm. Yun-seong stared at the gash in his arm, and Jung-nam laughed.

“Are you trying to kill him!?” Min-jun yelled.

Strangely, the cut in his arm didn’t hurt. He stared at the red shard of metal on the ground. His heart was racing in his chest, and he felt the blood roaring in his ears. He’d never felt… like this after a fight before…

Jung-nam said something, Yun-seong didn’t hear him. He lunged, grabbed Jung-nam’s throat, and he grinned at the sudden terrified look on the other man’s face.

Jung-nam was squirming, trying to kick at him, but Yun-seong just laughed, squeezing his grip tighter. His sword was in his left hand, but he didn’t need it. He could crush Jung-nam like a bug with his bare hands.

“What’s wrong with him?” Min-jun asked, scared. “Someone go get Lady Mi-na!”

Mi-na. Mi-na… something about her name made him freeze, suddenly. He dropped Jung-nam, smirked as his weak opponent stumbled backwards. Someone as weak as Jung-nam wasn’t even worth killing, but he wasn’t done yet. He approached Jung-nam, watched his eyes widen in fear, and felt something hit him hard.

He vaguely registered the blow. He turned his head, and stared at Seong Mi-na, who was holding Scarlet Thunder, looking at him in fear. “Yun-seong?"

"Mi-na," he managed.

He didn’t remember much else. He vaguely remembered how helpless he was to stop his movements, and Mi-na, and Hwang… he could hear his blood pounding in his ears. His fists ached, his chest was heaving as he struggled to breathe. Was that… that strange rasping sound…  _ was that sound coming from him? _

There was a loud scream, and everything went black.

* * *

Yun-seong opened his eyes, immediately closed them with an agonized groan. It was like waking up from the worst hangover he’d ever felt. The room was spinning.

“Yun-seong?” whispered Min-jun’s familiar voice. Yun-seong hedged a glance at his friend, and shut his eyes again as the dim candlelight nearly split his head from the pain. “You’re awake. I was so worried…”

Yun-seong groaned, looked at his bandaged chest, felt his throbbing head. "What… happened?" His body ached all over, felt like he’d fallen off a cliff. His arm was throbbing with pain, too.

“You don’t remember?” Min-jun asked, surprised. “You and Pak had it out. Lady Mi-na showed up to break up the fight, and you attacked her.”

“I… I what?” Yun-seong asked, sure he’d misheard him. “I attacked Mi-na?” Was Min-jun describing some weird dream he’d had?

Min-jun shook his head. “You were acting weird. Pak had something he took from Master Hwang, and he was going on about you and Lady Mi-na. You just… lost it.” He looked unhappy. “She was able to subdue you, and Master Hwang helped.”

It was ridiculous. And yet, somehow, he knew his friend wasn’t lying. He vaguely remembered flashes, like his memory was struggling to remember what happened, but couldn’t.

“Is Mi-na all right?” Yun-seong asked.

Min-jun nodded. “She’s fine. You didn’t do anything to her. Do you really… not remember any of this, Yun-seong?” He looked scared. “Not remembering things… that’s… not good.”

“You think you need to tell me that?” Yun-seong asked. “Did someone hit my head?”

“Master Hwang did,” Min-jun said, and looked relieved. “Maybe that’s it.” He frowned. “Get some rest. I need to go tell Lady Mi-na you’re awake. She asked me to let her know.” “She did?” Yun-seong asked, surprised. “I want to see her myself.” He regretted it almost immediately after getting out of bed. The room spun again, but he forced himself to get dressed, bidding a quick goodbye to Min-jun as he left.

He’d never actually been on the end of Master Seong’s mansion where Mi-na’s room was, but he knew the general area of it, and found it quickly enough. Taking care to move quietly, he tapped on the door he was pretty sure was hers.

Mi-na answered immediately. “Hello?”

“Mi-na!” He lowered his voice quickly. “Mi-na, it’s me—”

Her door slid open, and Mi-na grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him inside her room. She was wide awake, and still wearing her usual everyday clothes. She had a bandage on her cheek and another wrapped around her bicep. He grabbed her firmly by her waist, inspecting her. “Did I do that? Mi-na, did I hurt you—”

The urgency in his voice seemed to take her by surprise, and she shook her head. “I’m fine,” she promised, reaching up and patting his cheek. “Just a few scrapes and bruises. Nothing you haven’t done before.” He let her go, but he didn’t look convinced. She sat on her bed, took his hand and pulled him down beside her.

“I don’t know what happened,” Yun-seong said miserably. “I never would have hurt you on purpose. I—”

“Yun-seong, it’s  _ okay _ ,” Mi-na repeated. “It was a hot day, Jung-nam provoked you. It happens.”

“It does?” Yun-seong asked incredulously. “Nobody else went crazy! I attacked you!”

Mi-na shook her head. “It’s not your fault. Jung-nam... found something of Hwang’s. It affects people differently.”

“But why was I the only one?”

Mi-na shrugged, a bewildered expression on her pretty face. "No idea," she said honestly. “But Hwang wasn’t worried, either. It happens sometimes. We’ve seen it before, when we went after the Sword of Salvation.”

“So I’m some freak who can’t control himself?” Yun-seong demanded.

“No, just that you’re affected slightly by the weird shit that happens in the world.” Mi-na smiled, squeezed his hand. “Just because you were the only one of seven people affected doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with you.”

“I could have hurt you.” He hated how miserable he sounded, but as he looked at Mi-na’s face, he realized that was what he was most upset about. If he’d done something to hurt her, he didn’t think he could forgive himself.

Mi-na shook her head. “Do you ever listen when I talk? I’m fine.” She touched his bandaged arm, frowned. “That Jung-nam is out of control. He’s the one who provoked you to begin with, and he went way too far for a training match. My father is going to string his ass up when he gets home. I’ve never seen Hwang so angry.”

“What happened?” Yun-seong asked.

Mi-na scowled. “He tried to pin the blame on you. I could tell right away you weren’t yourself, and Hwang went off. We got you… under control, and then Jung-nam sang like a canary, even though everyone else told us what actually happened.” She laughed. “Min-jun is a good friend. He wouldn’t let Jung-nam say one bad thing about you. Then Hwang practically exploded, and I’ve never seen him go off like that. I think he knew Jung-nam went through his things.”

“Why did Hwang have something like that, anyway?” Yun-seong asked, scowling. “Bet  _ he _ doesn’t lose his mind when he sees a stupid piece of red metal.”

“Stop it,” Mi-na ordered, lightly thumping his chest. “Stop beating yourself up, okay? I met a guy on my travels. His name was Kilik, and when he saw a piece of that red metal, the same thing happened to him, and he was as disciplined as you are. It’s not anything to be ashamed of.”

“I still attacked you. And I—" Mi-na made a sound of frustration before kissing him, quite effectively shutting him up. He kissed her back, getting his hands on her hips, and she pulled him down on top of her as she laid back on her bed.

He stared at her in surprise, and she grinned at him. "If you  _ really _ feel bad, I know a few ways you can make it up to me."

Yun-seong was all too willing to make things up to her, the aches and pains in his body stopping as soon as their clothes were off. Doing this in a bed was considerably more comfortable than outside on the hard ground had been.

He particularly liked her idea of him burying his face between her thighs and licking her until she came. He was more than up for the challenge, and she was flat on her back with her legs on his shoulders, making so much noise he was worried she'd bring half the dojang in here (but he was rather proud of that, too).

She moaned as he added a second finger inside her, and she tightened her legs around his back. “Okay, come up,” Mi-na managed breathlessly, but Yun-seong shook his head.

“One more, then I will,” he promised, ducking his head back down again. Mi-na threw her head back, arched her hips to meet his eager mouth. He'd always been a fast learner, and he was beyond proud of himself as he made her come for the second time.

She nudged Yun-seong suddenly, and the sudden urgency made him stop and look up at her in confusion. A quiet knock, one so quiet he thought he imagined it, tapped on her door. 

“Hello?” Mi-na asked, voice slightly hitching due to Yun-seong promptly curling his fingers inside of her. She put her hand on his wrist to slow his motions, and sat up a bit. “Uh—who’s there?”

“Uh, Mi-na, it’s Hwang. Hwang Seong—”

“Is there another Hwang I know? Hang on,” Mi-na said, pushing Yun-seong off her, giving him a quick apology kiss before shoving him in her clothes chest, extracting a pink robe as she did so and slipping it on over her naked body. “I’m decent, come in.”

Yun-seong could see through the crack in the doors, and scowled as Hwang entered Mi-na’s room.  _ How long has he just been dropping by and visiting her this late at night? _

His pants were laying on the ground. Mi-na luckily noticed before Hwang did, and gracefully kicked them into an unrecognizable shape.

“Uh, I wanted to talk about earlier. Sorry for coming by so late, but I didn’t want any prying eyes or ears.”

There was a stark difference between Commander Hwang and Hwang Seong-gyeong the man. He didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands, he was fidgety, and was looking anywhere but at Mi-na, who was still eying him curiously.  _ Maybe he can tell she's naked under that robe. _

He pushed his jealous thoughts aside. Hwang was talking. “You know as well as I do… what happened with Yun-seong today,” he said.

Mina looked startled. “No I don't. What are you talking about? They’re pent up and stuck here. They fight all the time.”

_ That wasn’t what she told me. Why is she lying to Hwang and acting like she doesn’t know _ ? Yun-seong wondered if this conversation would be going differently if Mi-na was alone with Hwang.  _ Maybe there is something wrong with me, and she just doesn't want to tell me. _

Hwang made a skeptical noise. “Mi-na, I know you two are close, but—”

“He just got angry, it happens. He’s got a temper.” Mi-na shrugged. “Besides, you’re the one who left a shard of glowing metal laying around where one of these idiots could find it!”

“That’s true,” Hwang admitted. “Min-jun told me what happened. The way Yun-seong reacted…”

“You know as well as I do, that stupid Jung-nam exaggerated to keep his own ass out of trouble. They’re all lucky my father isn’t here right now.”

Mi-na wasn’t convincing Yun-seong, and judging by Hwang’s expression, he wasn’t convinced either. “Mi-na.” Hwang’s voice was not unkind. “It doesn’t mean anything. We just need to keep a close eye on him, that’s all.”

“And by  _ we _ , you mean  _ me _ , don’t you? Aren’t you leaving again?” Mi-na asked. “Why aren’t  _ you _ talking to Yun-seong about this, by the way? He would listen to you.”

Hwang laughed. “I think you’d do a much better job convincing him.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Mi-na asked. She sounded convincing, as if Yun-seong wasn’t currently naked in her closet, listening to this entire conversation.  _ She’s a good liar _ . It made Yun-seong wonder if she was lying to  _ him _ , too.

_ Stop second-guessing everything. _ If he couldn’t trust Mi-na, he couldn’t trust anyone.

“Do you ever think about leaving again? There’s a whole world out there that needs our help. Not just Korea,” Mi-na said suddenly. “Yun-seong isn’t the only one, either.”

Hwang nodded, his expression sad. “I think about that all the time, Mi-na. But we can’t save the world. All we can do is protect what we know.”

“You actually believe that?” Mi-na asked.

Hwang hesitated for a moment before squeezing her shoulder. Mi-na slowly put her hand over his, gave it a squeeze in return. “I’m sure Yun-seong will be fine, Mi-na. Don’t worry.”

“Who’s worried?” Mi-na asked, crossing her arms over her chest. “Good night, Hwang.”

Hwang glanced at the chest as he left. Yun-seong felt eerie as Hwang’s eyes met his hidden gaze.  _ Does he know I’m in here? _

Mi-na let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door, and Yun-seong stepped back into view. “That was close,” she commented. “What’s wrong?”

“Hwang didn’t believe you. Something  _ is  _ wrong with me.” He was suddenly feeling nauseous.

“Did we just hear the same conversation?” Mi-na asked, looping her arms around his waist. He could tell she was forcing the ease in her voice. "Come back to bed. I owe you one now." She pressed a kiss to his jaw.

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mi-na. I don't feel good…"

“It’s late, why don’t you just stay here,” Mi-na began, looking back at her bed. He shook his head, picked his pants up off the floor. Twenty minutes ago, the thought of spending the night with Mi-na would’ve had him bursting through the wall in his excitement, but he couldn’t shake her conversation with Hwang from his mind. He wanted to think.

“Okay. Good night.” Mi-na hesitated for a moment, before kissing him once and hugging him tightly. He put his arms around her, and they stood there for a long moment before he finally pulled away from her.

* * *

Master Seong returned three days later, and Yun-seong was summoned to his office almost immediately. The servant avoided his eye while she spoke. He got along with most of the servants, and was friends with several, but he wasn't surprised. Nearly all of the dojang had been avoiding him over the past three days, including the servants.

Normally, he didn’t care. He showed off too much in class, he’d been admonished for it several times, but he’d always thought the chance to show off a new move was worth the guarantee of getting yelled at. But this was completely different. They were staring at him like they’d never seen him before. It hadn’t taken Jung-nam any time to tell everyone at the dojang what had happened that afternoon.

Master Seong seemed grim. Yun-seong was simply hoping to not get into too much trouble, but his Master surprised him with news. Uncle Gil-jong was dead, killed on the front lines by a Japanese general.

Yun-seong hadn't even processed that news before Master Seong continued. He was to join the Coast Guard by the end of the month.

Hwang had put in a good word for him, and with his uncle’s death, Yun-seong’s presence was to raise morale and give his fellow soldiers hope with his natural ability. It was everything Yun-seong had wanted a year ago.

His friends were happy for him, but when he told Mi-na, he felt his smile fall off his face. She had never looked less happy, as long as he’d known her.

“That’s really what you want?” Mi-na asked, frowning.

“Yes.” It wasn’t. Looking at Mi-na convinced him even more. If there was something about the evil sword that had something to do with him, that could poison his mind and make him attack people he cared about… and if there was truly a Sword of Salvation that he could find, use to protect his countrymen… 

…and Mi-na might be married by the time he got back. This could be the last few weeks they ever spent in each other's company.

Mi-na said nothing for a long moment, and shrugged. “Okay. I never took you for a coward,” she said finally. He stared at her, and she turned and walked away. He didn’t know if he was imagining the tears in her eyes, but he knew he wasn’t imagining his own.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the original timeline, Yun-seong is 18 when Cassandra is 21, but for the sake of keeping things on track with the new timeline (and the weird timeline that exists in this story) Yun-seong is the same age as Cassandra. They’re both 20, they’ll both turn 21 in the year 1586. I thought about messing with their ages more because I didn’t want to lose the Mi-na older than Yun-seong dynamic but this way works fine, I think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the present day. Yun-seong and Cassandra get to know each other and go explore some pyramids in hopes of finding out something about the twin swords.

“Maybe let’s try a different street,” Yun-seong suggested.

“Did all the restaurants on that side of the street close early? I only tried one,” Cassandra said, looking up at him.

“Oh, I meant, because you yelled at everyone on the other street.” Yun-seong offered a sheepish grin, scratched the back of his head. “Uh, what about this place?”

Cassandra shrugged. “Sure smells good.”

The restaurant they stood in front of had a separate inn, and Yun-seong had been nice enough to give her money for a room. Apparently he’d won a local tournament, hence where all his money had come from, and in his words, “I can’t spend all of it myself!”

They sat down at a smaller table inside the restaurant, catching the eye of the woman working in the kitchen, who seemed busy but waved at them in acknowledgement. 

"So, what brings a guy from Korea to Egypt?" Cassandra asked brightly, as they were led to a table.

"You want a drink?" Yun-seong offered. "This is a drink conversation."

Cassandra shrugged and nodded. She'd never been much of a drinker, but, adventure, right? Her new companion had a nervous sort of energy about him, his leg jiggling restlessly beneath the table.  _ Maybe he's just really energetic and high-strung too. _

_ Or maybe he's a murderer trying to get you drunk. _ A server greeting them interrupted her increasingly terrifying thoughts, and with a nervous smile at him, Cassandra let her new companion do the talking. 

"I have no idea what I just ordered," Yun-seong said sheepishly. "Best part of traveling is all the new food you get to eat, right?"

He won her over immediately. "Oh, it's the absolute best! I worked in a bakery back home."

"My dad ran a restaurant. I used to help him out when I was a kid." Yun-seong drummed his fingers on the table, looked sad for a moment. 

"What happened?" Cassandra asked curiously.

"He died." Yun-seong shrugged like this was a throwaway question, but he still looked sad. 

“Oh. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I asked," Cassandra apologized, wincing internally, beaming radiantly as the server returned with their waters and drinks. 

"S'fine. Like I said, my name's Hong Yun-seong… I’m from a small town in Korea, Joseon, south of Seoul. I just turned 21…" Yun-seong smiled sheepishly. “I’m not really that interesting. I got the tattoos to make up for it.”

“Oooh, cool,” Cassandra said with interest, peering at the large, tribal tattoos peeking from under Yun-seong’s sleeves and covering his forearms. “Did it hurt?”

“Not as bad as getting stabbed normally does. Kinda like if you’re out in the sun for too long, but with blood. And lots of needles.”

Cassandra winced, rubbed her arm. “I guess I’ll just be boring, then. Why did you leave Korea?”

Yun-seong made a face, put his empty drink glass back down. “Uh, I did something stupid. I was supposed to join the Coast Guard, but there was this girl back home I liked, and she didn’t feel the same way I did.”

“Is she blind?” Cassandra asked, before she could stop herself. This guy was  _ really  _ good-looking, but she immediately covered her gaffe by grabbing her drink glass.

Luckily, he just grinned. “She has her reasons... and my country is being attacked by the Japanese invaders right now too. I figured finding the Sword of Salvation is my best shot.”

“Sword of Salvation?” Cassandra repeated, tilting her head. “Is that what it’s called in Korea?”

“I don’t really know anything about it, other than that it's powerful. My Master’s best student…  _ Hwang _ … went after it, and so did Mi-na. Neither of them found shit, so I wanted to try.” He shrugged. “Do you know anything about it?”

“I know about the cursed sword and the spirit sword,” Cassandra said, shaking her head. “Although I think they both might be evil.”

“Why?” Yun-seong asked.

Cassandra shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. More like a gut feeling than anything else.”

“Oh.” Yun-seong made a face. “All my gut is telling me is that it’s hungry.”

Cassandra laughed. “Me too. The food isn’t too different here than it is in Greece! Greece is so close to the Middle East anyway, we share a lot of flavors. Mostly why everyone around here speaks English, I suppose.”

“My Master wanted us to learn other languages too. Korean, English and Japanese is about all I know.” Yun-seong frowned at the menu. “None of this though. Stuff I actually needed to learn!”

Their server returned promptly, and after recommending the falafel, the soup of the day, and lamb and rice dish with a grilled skewer of vegetables, Yun-seong promptly dropped a bag of gold on the table and asked for all of it. Once their server had refilled their drinks and left, Yun-seong looked at Cassandra again. “Why did you leave Greece?” he asked. “Are you running away from a marriage?”

“What? No,” Cassandra said with a laugh.  _ I would need a suitor for that. _ . “Just a change of pace. My sister left on an adventure a few years ago, and her stories made me want to head off on my own. She just got married herself, I wanted her to stay home with her new husband.”

“Huh. Aren't you nice.” Yun-seong got quiet after that, seemed lost in thought. Cassandra left him to his thoughts, as her own began to wander.

Her travels had led her to Egypt, and now she was having dinner with a guy on a quest to find the Sword of Salvation, whatever that may be. The good sword, or the evil sword… he seemed too cheerful and good-natured, and he’d bought her dinner and hadn’t demanded anything in return. It didn’t seem to match his personality to be after the cursed sword. Even if that girl he liked didn’t feel the same way, he was friendly and incredibly attractive, he could easily find another girl if that was what he wanted…

“Here’s your feast,” the server chirped, aided by two other servers to bring them all their food. Their table was covered in delicious-smelling, delicious-looking dishes, and for a while all Cassandra and Yun-seong did was eat.

“I don’t know what it is, but it’s good,” Yun-seong decided.

“Kinda spicy,” Cassandra remarked, sampling the soup, “but it’s delicious. Perfect for a cold night.”

“We don’t have many of those here,” the woman who’d greeted them said brightly as she approached their table, interrupting them. “I'm the owner. Everything good?”

Cassandra nodded behind her glass, set her wine down. “Yes! Delicious.” Yun-seong nodded, said something agreeable through a mouthful of food.

“Glad to hear,” the woman said with a smile. “My name is Amal, if you need anything else. My husband and I run this restaurant together. You both look like you’re not from around these parts.”

Yun-seong’s mouth was too full of food to respond, but Cassandra considered it for a moment. Most restaurants and taverns were hotspots of activity, perfect for asking questions. “You’re right, I’m from Greece and he’s from Korea. Do you know why so many people have been flocking to Egypt lately?”

Amal seemed to think about it. “People come to Egypt year-round, but it is rather unusual to see so many people here at this time of the year. The pyramids have been experiencing quite a bit of attention, too.”

“Pyramids?” Cassandra asked curiously.

“The big triangle things,” Yun-seong told her. Cassandra made a face at him while Amal laughed.

“I _meant_ , is there something going on there? Something unusual?” Cassandra asked.

Amal seemed to realize she was being pressed for information, and shrugged. “They say a sword caused destruction inside one of the pharaoh’s tombs. I don’t know anything else. Excuse me,” she added, going to check on another table.

Yun-seong frowned at her retreating form. “I wanted more of these bean balls.”

“Falafel,” Cassandra corrected him, snorting. “She didn’t seem to want to answer us.”

“You were being kinda pushy. Might as well put a damn sign on your head,” Yun-seong agreed.

Cassandra scowled at him before sighing. “Okay, maybe I was being a little obvious. Why don’t you try asking?”

“Too hungry.” He popped a vegetable skewer in his mouth. Cassandra rolled her eyes, but was spared when Amal returned.

“I admit, I’m curious how you two met,” she said with a smile. “You make a cute couple.”

Yun-seong opened his mouth, but Cassandra kicked him under the table and smiled. “We actually met here. This city is so beautiful, we couldn’t help falling in love,” she said, smiling at Yun-seong, who was now visibly choking on a piece of eggplant.

“If he’s as enthusiastic about you as he is about food, I can see why,” Amal said with a laugh.

“He totally is. He would eat all day if I'd let him,” Cassandra agreed. 

“Oh  _ my _ . Aren't you lucky?” Amal teased. Cassandra was confused, but Yun-seong was laughing so hard he was beginning to choke again.

“We were thinking about checking the pyramids out, but I don’t think it’s a good idea if it’s not safe.” Cassandra feigned her best frightened expression, and kicked Yun-seong again underneath the table.

“OW! I mean, uh, I’ll keep you safe, darling,” Yun-seong said completely unconvincingly. Cassandra narrowed her eyes at him, and he winked at her, reached across the table for her hand, gave it a squeeze.

Amal smiled. “Well, the pyramids are beautiful at night. But most people are too afraid of mummies to even bother.” Amal rubbed at an invisible spot on the counter, and frowned, folding her towel in half. 

Yun-seong laughed. “Mummies? Ha! Mummies aren’t real.”

Amal tilted her head, confused, as Cassandra stared at him. “Where do you think bodies get buried,  _ sweetie _ ?”

“In a graveyard,” Yun-seong answered, his cocky smile fading a bit. “...”

“I’ll let it sink in. I don’t think he’s ready to hear about vampires,” Amal said with a grin, laughing along with Cassandra as Yun-seong’s eyes widened more.

Cassandra sighed, gave Yun-seong’s hand a squeeze. “Vampires aren’t real, don’t worry, sweetie. Just evil swords that steal people’s souls. And mummies, mummies are real.”

Amal did frown suddenly. “There have been many disappearances, as of late. My husband was telling me ever since the Aval Organization reached Egypt, many of their operatives have vanished without a trace.”

“Aval Organization?” Cassandra asked.

Amal snorted. “Don’t get me started. My husband had to leave his homeland behind. He’s not from Egypt. I’m grateful, because it’s doubtful we’d have met if he hadn’t left Norway, but...”

“Hmmm.” Cassandra frowned. “How are people getting inside the pyramids? Aren’t they sealed, so the pharaohs can rest in peace?”

“You know your history. But there was a… significant amount of damage done to one of the temples. Many supposed it was how everyone kept getting in, but when nobody returned, it was roped off.” Amal shrugged. “See for yourself if you don’t believe me, but please, be safe. I wish you both the best.”

She dismissed herself again, and the server appeared to present them with the bill, which Cassandra immediately pushed to Yun-seong with her brightest smile, batting her eyelashes at him. He rolled his eyes, paid, and they left the restaurant.

The sun had set a while ago, and it was surprisingly cool in the desert at night. Cassandra wrapped her arms around herself. Her short sleeveless dress wasn’t providing much warmth, even with her tights underneath. 

“Well, you know what this means,” Cassandra said thoughtfully.

“Yup. I’m stuffed. Bed time?” Yun-seong suggested.

“No, you—we should investigate that pyramid. If people are going inside and disappearing, maybe there’s something to do with—” she whispered the next part—“the cursed sword.”

“You want to go inside the pyramid, that people are disappearing in, at night? When the mummies come out? The same pyramid that got trashed by a sword?” Yun-seong looked aghast. “No way. You want to get yourself killed, have at it.”

Cassandra stared at him, outraged. “Fine! Maybe this restaurant should put you on the menu!"

"Oh yeah, why's that?"

"Because you're _chicken_!"

Yun-seong scowled, folded his arms over his chest. “That's not gonna work on me!”

"Fine! The hell with you! Have a nice life, watch out for that mummy behind you!” She stomped off, peeked behind her to confirm that Yun-seong was actually leaving… and he was.

In hindsight, that was a bad idea. She didn’t have any money, and now she was also getting strange looks again. Yun-seong was distracting-looking enough for the both of them… and it had been nice to have someone to talk to…

She was just about to run after him when she was spared. Yun-seong was back, looking annoyed and reluctant, but rejoining her all the same. 

“Look who came back!” she smirked, mentally punching herself. It was really like she couldn’t help herself.  _ This is why you’re alone! _

“You owe me dinner,” was all Yun-seong said in explanation, still scowling. "But I'm not going anywhere now! We wait until morning. Deal?"

Inside she felt relief, but she kept her expression neutral. “Okay, I guess. That works.”

* * *

Cassandra smiled, burrowed her face into her pillow. After nearly two weeks of catching random, fitful sleep on the ground, a few consecutive nights in a soft bed and cozy room was like something from a dream…

Unfortunately, Yun-seong woke up a lot earlier than she did, and she groaned as he banged on the wall separating their rooms. “It’s gonna get dark again in twelve hours! We got twelve hours to check that dump out!”

Cassandra groaned. “Fine! Go away!”

_ Do I have any tomb raiding clothes? _ She settled for one of her white sleeveless tops, tied together in the front, a blue skirt, and was struggling to get her knee-high sandals and various armor pieces on when Yun-seong banged on the wall again. “Eleven hours, forty minutes! Burnin’ daylight here!”

“I’m  _ coming _ !” she shouted, shaking out her blonde hair and tying it in a ponytail, securing it with a ribbon.

“That’s what you’re wearing? Leaving an awful lot of skin exposed for mummies to eat you,” Cassandra smirked, earning a scowl from her new friend, who had been leaning against the wall waiting for her. He'd changed as well, into a green button-down he'd left open, showing off his muscled chest, and a pair of baggy grey shorts and sandals. The green of his shirt clashed spectacularly with his dark red hair, which she told him.

He laughed. “Mi-na used to tell me that a lot. Can’t help liking what I like, though.”

That was at least the fifth time he’d mentioned a woman named Mi-na, and if they didn’t get killed later, she made a mental note to ask.  _ Probably the same girl who he ran away from home to get away from. _

“Ready for adventure?” Cassandra asked cheerfully.

“Adventure? No. I’m ready for breakfast,” Yun-seong complained.

* * *

“Oh, wow,” Yun-seong commented. “Someone wrecked this place’s shit.”

Cassandra had to agree with that assessment. Workers were nearby, using a gigantic pulley system to move stones around. The newer stones were much cleaner than the old ones, making the damage obvious to anyone paying attention.

“Looks like they’re sealing it back up,” Yun-seong said, poking her and pointing towards the crew of workers set up in front of the largest pyramid.

“Aren’t there people trapped inside?” Cassandra asked, alarmed. Only one of the workers seemed to know English (maybe the others were just avoiding them), and he frowned, removing his helmet.

“It’s dangerous inside. All this damage was done by a sword,” the worker told them, eying the sword in Yun-seong’s hand.

“I didn’t do it,” Yun-seong said stupidly, looking alarmed.

The worker shook his head. “A sword we’ve never seen before. A magic sword. I won’t stop you, that’s not my place. Good luck.”

“Magic sword?” Cassandra repeated.

“Good luck?” Yun-seong echoed, but the worker shrugged and went on with his business. She glanced at Yun-seong, whose bravado was fading fast. He looked nauseous. 

“We still on?” she said brightly, forcing cheer into her voice as she nudged him.

“I’ve lived long enough, I guess. Let’s do it.” Yun-seong secured his sword and swung his leg over the ledge, peering down. “Looks way too dark down there. I’m—” He lost his grip and fell backwards with a yell, amplified as he hit the ground with a loud thump. “OW!”

The worker, watching them curiously, gasped. “The curse!”

“There is no curse! He lost his balance, like an idiot!” Cassandra said frantically.

“I heard that!” Yun-seong shouted, his voice echoing. “Hurry up and get down here! I hear noises!”

“Fine, but I’m not taking the way you took,” Cassandra replied, examining a ledge along the wall. She inched herself along the edge, wishing her butt was smaller as she did, and grinned triumphantly at Yun-seong as he came into view, hoping off the ledge and landing next to him.

“Sure, if you want to be all graceful about it,” Yun-seong commented, rolling his eyes.

“Did you land on your sword?” Cassandra didn’t see any blood.

“Nope. My ass hurts, though.” He scratched his head, gestured in front of him. “You got the torch, lead the way.”

“Such a gentleman,” Cassandra answered.

* * *

Yun-seong was following her so closely, every time she’d stop he would run into her. Normally, she’d be more irritated, but the presence of someone so much bigger than she was actually reassured her a bit. You didn’t get toned, chiseled muscles like Yun-seong’s by sitting on your butt.

_ And I can run faster than him, so if something happens— _

Her sword sparked in her left hand, and she yelped. “Ow!”

“How the hell did you do that?” Yun-seong asked, looking alarmed.

“Divine force,” Cassandra answered. “Usually means something is nearby. Get ready for a fight.”

“Divine  _ what _ ?”

She didn’t get a chance to explain. The scuffing sounds they’d been hearing were not rats or bats; they were men, seven of them, and they began snickering as they came into view.

One pointed his sword at Cassandra and leered, and the rest laughed. Cassandra glared, raised her weapons.

Yun-seong noticed too, and stepped up, a scowl on his handsome face. “Get behind me,” he said, and Cassandra laughed.

“As if. I got this,” she said confidently, raising her sword. “You get the ones on the right, I’ll take the left?”

Yun-seong made an incredulous sound. “I got this,” he repeated, but Cassandra hurled at her shield, smacking one man upside the head. Her shield returned, she caught it, and she punched another man so hard she felt his tooth loosen beneath his cheek.

She elbowed the man behind her, and when he howled, she spun gracefully and kneed him in the gut. He gasped, dropped his looted bag. She pointed her sword at him. “I don’t think this is your thing.”

“They can’t understand you, save the trash talk,” Yun-seong shouted.

Cassandra sighed. “Way to take all the fun out of it.” Her sword sparked, and she glanced up to see the bloody-mouthed bandit lunging at her. She slashed with her sword, cut a line across his chest, and with a yell, she drove her sword forward, jabbing him in the torso. He clutched his chest and collapsed.

“Holy shit!” Yun-seong yelled, sounding impressed. Cassandra whirled, round-house kicked the remaining bandit, and he got to his knees, snarling what definitely didn’t sound like apologies at her.

“Sorry, didn’t quite catch that,” Cassandra said, admittedly enjoying this with her audience (Yun-seong was standing there, so she could only imagine he’d taken his four bandits down already). She kicked the man, knocking him to the ground.

“Time to teach you a lesson.” She stabbed her sword through the bandit’s leg, making him howl. Then she grabbed her shield and, with all her might, bashed him over the head with it.

“Brutal,” Yun-seong remarked, wincing. “I like it.”

Cassandra glanced at the pile of bodies Yun-seong had neatly left in the corner. “Wow,” she said, impressed. “Did you…”

“Nah. I didn’t even need my sword, these guys were pussies,” Yun-seong answered with a shrug. “I didn’t even break a sweat.”

Cassandra hid her annoyance with a gulp of water. “Show-off.” She was out of breath.

He just laughed. “Heard that one before. But I gotta say, you’re not half bad.”

Cassandra shrugged, wiped the sand off her shield. “The best defense is a good offense,” she said, smirking. “What, you think women can’t fight, or something?”

That made him laugh. “Just didn’t think you could do any actual damage with that tiny-ass sword, that’s all.”

“This is a sword and shield given to me (stolen from) by the Gods,” Cassandra said, narrowing her eyes. “They have divine powers. But divine power only goes so far, because I could have thrashed all six of those guys in my sleep.”

“You might get the chance, that’s probably not the last of them. Maybe we should leave a trail, in case we can’t find our way back,” Yun-seong suggested.

Cassandra snorted. “Like what, breadcrumbs? Or bandit bodies? Or…” Yun-seong made a face at her as he drew an arrow in the sand with his sandaled foot. “Okay, that works too.”

* * *

“Everything looks the goddamned same,” Yun-seong complained.

As much as she privately agreed with him, Cassandra sighed loudly. “Can’t you find something positive to think about?”

“You dragged me down here, least I can do is complain. Maybe more bandits will attack us…” 

He sounded so hopeful Cassandra had to laugh. Somehow he simultaneously reminded her of Sophitia and Lucius, as if both her siblings had been rolled into one.

_ Sophitia… _ not for the first time, she wished she could speak to her sister, ask her advice.  _ What would Sophitia think of Yun-seong? Or of me, down here in a pyramid, looking for— _

Yun-seong’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “What do you make of this egg thing?”

“Egg thing?” Cassandra repeated. They’d passed several large monuments, all crumbled and destroyed, but Yun-seong was now poking through the remains of one, using his sword as a probe.

“Yeah, look.” Yun-seong holstered his sword, squatted down and grunted. “It’s heavy.”

“Don’t touch it!” Cassandra gasped.

Yun-seong stared at her in bewilderment. “We’re basically raiding a giant tomb. You wanna argue the morality here?”

“No, it’s probably cursed!” Cassandra hissed, flailing. “Don’t touch it! A—a mummy might come crawling out!”

Yun-seong frowned. “I’m not scared of anything  _ that _ size. I’m pulling it out one way or another.” He drew his sword again, and began prodding at the egg with the blade, trying to pry the egg free. “You gonna stand there collecting flies with your mouth open?”

“I’m just here to hear your last words, so I can etch them onto your tomb with my sword,” Cassandra answered, rolling her eyes. “Explain how the guy who jumped at every sound we heard suddenly became a tomb raider? You think Soul Edge is inside that egg?”

Yun-seong opened his mouth to answer, when the interior of the room began to shake. 

Cassandra and Yun-seong stared at each other for a long second. Then Cassandra reacted. 

“Way to go, you idiot! This is all your fault! I told you not to touch it!”

“At least I did something!”

“Yeah, something _stupid_!”

The dust was getting thicker. Cassandra could barely see Yun-seong, but she could hear him coughing. Dust clouds formed from the shaking walls, and the ground itself began to rumble under their feet. Yun-seong was first to react, and dropped the egg, ran at Cassandra. “Don’t just stand there, run!” He grabbed her arm and sprinted.

“Owww!” Cassandra whined, her short legs struggling to keep up with Yun-seong’s pace. “Where are we going!?”

He led them into a dead end, and shouted something obscene-sounding in Korean. Cassandra yanked her arm from his grip and poked him in the chest furiously, but she couldn’t continue berating him, as there was a strange howling sound on top of everything else.

Yun-seong froze. “Do you hear that? It’s just the wind, right?”

“That’s going to be our funeral dirge, you—” Cassandra quieted down then, and frowned. She did hear something… it sounded like…

Yun-seong looked scared. “The mummies are laughing at us!”

“It’s not a mummy, but it might be…” Cassandra hesitated for a moment before grabbing Yun-seong’s arm. “Come on, follow me. You might have ran us into a corner, but I think I saw a way out.”

They advanced in silence for a moment. Yun-seong grabbed her hand at one point, and when she realized he was as scared as she was, she squeezed his hand tightly, grateful to have someone to hold onto. The laughter was getting louder, and there was a light ahead…

The stones ahead would have been another dead end, but they’d clearly been hastily re-assembled, as if the person inside was attempting to seal themselves away. A light was visible through the rocks, and Cassandra glanced behind her at Yun-seong. What little she could see of his face looked scared.

“You ready?” Cassandra hissed. “Get ready. Soul Edge may be inside.”

“I forget. Is Soul Edge the good one or the bad one?” Yun-seong hissed back, and Cassandra found herself snorting with laughter before shaking her head.

“I don’t know. All I know is—” With a shout, she kicked the crack in the stones as hard as she could.

“OW!” she howled, but her kick worked, and the rocks began to shift, toppling… backwards. Yun-seong grabbed her waist and pulled her to safety, and they both coughed as another dust cloud kicked up.

“Well, isn’t this adorable.” A woman spoke, her English perfectly accented.

Cassandra smacked at Yun-seong’s hands to get him to let her go, and stood her ground, glaring at the woman. “Who the hell are you?” she shouted.

“That doesn’t seem like any of your business,” the woman answered, coming into view. She was tall, and wore a skin-tight purple suit, emphasizing her curvy figure.

“Whoa,” Yun-seong commented, and Cassandra stomped on his foot. “Ow! I meant the room she’s in!”

“Oh. Sorry.” The tomb the woman was inside was indeed incredible. Arching stones created a huge room, with tile floors, cracked in various places. The tomb had clearly seen better days, but was illuminated enough by the woman’s torches that the hieroglyphics carved and painted into the walls were visible.

“Beautiful, aren’t they?” the woman asked, staring at the walls.

“Who are you? What are you even doing down here?” Cassandra asked.

The woman laughed. “Do not get involved, girl. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Are you the one destroying the pyramids?” Cassandra demanded. “Where is the evil sword?”

“Or the good sword!” Yun-seong added. “Either one.”

“The only sword here is my sword. My Valentine,” the woman answered, raising her jeweled, purple-handled sword, her attention returning to the walls. “Depictions of what happened long ago, of those who came before us. It makes you wonder what will be written of us, centuries from now…”

Cassandra and Yun-seong exchanged glances. The woman continued her monologue, as if they weren’t there. “This crypt contains the old ruins that house murals surrounding Soul Edge. They have many mysteries. It seems even the Pharaoh knew of its evil, and created a seal to lock in some evil being…”

“You know about Soul Edge?” Cassandra asked. “Why are you telling us all of this?”

The woman laughed wickedly. “ _Why_? Isn’t it best to die with your curiosity sated?”

“That doesn’t answer my—”

The woman’s sword broke into pieces suddenly, and flew at Cassandra as if possessing a mind of its own. She yelped, raised her shield to block it, and staggered backwards on impact.

Yun-seong shoved her out of the way, and Cassandra groaned, rolled onto her back. He’s fast, she thought, as Yun-seong blocked the woman’s third attack.

“She goes for three attacks, then she has to pull it back and re-form it,” Yun-seong said over his shoulder. “Come on! I can do this all day!”

“I bet you could,” the woman said. “Unfortunately, my time is valuable.”

The sword spun through, wrapped around the woman’s waist with a blue glow. Cassandra felt she barely had time to blink before the blade shot out, hitting Yun-seong, making him grunt.

“Yun-seong!” Cassandra shouted. “Are you okay?”

“Ow!” Yun-seong said angrily, pressing his hand to his side, his palm coming back bloody. “Been better, I gotta say—"

“Thought you had my Ivy Blade figured out, did you?” the woman asked, grinning. “I don’t expect you to understand the delicate, complicated work necessary to breathe life into my sword… but I do think this first lesson will be a painful one.”

“Bring it!” Yun-seong shouted, holding his bleeding side with his left hand.

The sword struck like a snake. Yun-seong blocked, dodged, but was quickly losing his stamina, Cassandra noted in horror. His moves got clumsier, he was staggering, and there was a continuous drip of blood on the sandy ground from the wound in his side.

She gripped her sword, and sparks shot out. Yun-seong wasn’t going to last much longer, but this woman would shred her even quicker. She had to think of something—

Yun-seong slashed at the sword, which made it shoot up and fly into the wall, shooting sparks as it spun out of control. The woman growled, retracted it.

“Ha!” Yun-seong laughed.

“You’ll regret that, dear.” The woman laughed as Yun-seong groaned, sunk to his knee, using his sword as a support. “Or perhaps you’ll be dead before you can. It matters not to me.”

“Go to hell,” Yun-seong spat, panting. 

“Curse me all you like. I do not expect forgiveness.” The woman turned dismissively from him, glanced at Cassandra. “Looks like you’re next, dear.”

“Cass, run,” Yun-seong snapped, getting to his feet again, readying his sword. “This fight isn’t over, lady!”

_ Run!? Is he serious!? _

“Back for more? You’re a tenacious fellow.” The woman smirked, approached with her sword intact. “Perhaps a more hands-on approach is needed to break that spirit of yours…”

Yun-seong swung at her, and she blocked the attack effortlessly. He jumped backwards, swung again, and she blocked with her arm gauntlet instead before kicking him in the stomach, knocking him flat on his back with a groan.

The woman grinned, stepped on his chest, and laughed in delight at his pained wheeze. “Yes, that’s what I thought. This was hardly worth my time,” she said, pointing the tip of her sword at Yun-seong’s throat.

That was all the opening Cassandra needed. She lunged, side-charged the woman and sent her into the ground. The woman leapt to her feet with startling agility, and with one flick of her wrist sent the Ivy Blade at her. Cassandra blocked, grunted as the impact sent her staggering backwards, and forced herself forward, hiding behind her shield as much as she could.

“How uncouth,” said the woman, but Cassandra hit her in the face with her shield.

“Shut the hell up. I did not come this far… to lose… to YOU!” Cassandra shouted, kicking her as hard as she could. 

The woman spat out blood, wiped her bloody lip with her right hand. “That was a mistake, dear.”

“The only mistake here is letting you walk out of here alive!” Cassandra yelled, and glanced up. The stone arches looked awfully fragile… and this tomb was designed to keep in evil, as the woman herself had said…

She looked behind her. Yun-seong was on his hands and knees, still looking rather worse for wear, but she could get to him as long as she knew where he was—however, without her shield, she’d be leaving herself open to the bite of the sword.

It was a risk she had to take. She charged, ran at the woman, swinging her sword as ridiculously and obviously as possible, to throw the woman off guard. She shoulder-checked the other woman, leapt backwards and craned her neck at the curved ceiling of the tomb again once more.

“CASS!” Yun-seong shouted. Cassandra grit her teeth and hurled her shield at one of the arches, right as the Ivy Blade tore into her thigh.

She cried out in pain and fell backwards, but Yun-seong somehow got to her in time and caught her.

“You all right?” he asked breathlessly. She caught her shield and nodded. The damage was done. Backed by divine force, her shield hadn’t just dented the arch, it completely destroyed it, filling the room with dust as it began to shake.

The woman stared in horror. “What have you—what have you done!?” she shrieked, as the pillars began to collapse. She swung her bloodied sword again at them, but Yun-seong had recovered enough to pull Cassandra out of the way.

“Come on, we gotta go!” Yun-seong shouted. “You brought this whole place down!”

Cassandra stared at the woman, who was disappearing into the dust cloud. “Should we—help her?!”

“Are you serious!? There’s no time! Can you run?” 

Cassandra shook her head, bit her lip. Her regret for dooming the woman to being buried alive was evaporating with every throb of her bloody thigh. 

“I got you.” Yun-seong picked her up and grunted. 

Cassandra gasped. “Excuse me!?”

“You’re heavy!” Yun-seong complained, breaking into a sprint, nonetheless.

Luckily he seemed to know where he was going. From her vantage point over Yun-seong’s shoulder, Cassandra watched in shock as the inside of the pyramid collapsed. “We’re not gonna make it!” Cassandra screamed, closing her eyes, hiding her face in Yun-seong’s shoulder. 

“Shut up! Yes we are!”

Cassandra opened her eyes, watched as the light at the entrance got bigger. Yun-seong was right. Somehow by the grace of the Gods, they made it, and he dropped her immediately as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

They laid on their backs in the sand, Yun-seong wheezing from his sprint, but he rolled over and grinned at her.

“That was fun,” he said, and Cassandra had to laugh at the elated look on his face.

“I mean, yeah, kind of,” she said, sitting up and looking at her thigh. It was still bloody, but it was nothing a bandage and some rest wouldn’t fix. “I think my leg’s okay. How’s your side?”

“S’all right. I’ve had worse.” Yun-seong peeled his bloody shirt back, frowned at the wound. "She got blood all over my favorite shirt."

“You’ve had worse than that?” Cassandra asked incredulously.

Yun-seong thought about it. “Maybe not this bad. But you saved my ass back there! She would’ve shredded me.”

“Yeah, but you got us out of there,” Cassandra agreed. “And your remarkable ability to endure a beating helped me figure out how to get us out of there alive.”

“We saved each other,” Yun-seong decided as he got to his feet, and grinned at her, offering her a hand up. “We didn’t find the sword, though. So I guess that means we gotta keep looking.”

She realized what he was asking, and she couldn’t help grinning back. “Yup. Looks like we’ve got quite the adventure ahead of us.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it as he pulled her up.

They began to walk back to the city together, Yun-seong slinging his arm around her shoulder companionably. There were some things you couldn’t experience without becoming friends, and fighting a crazed woman wielding a living snake sword inside a collapsing pyramid was one of those experiences.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually listen to music when I write, and the Soul Calibur 2 soundtrack I have on played Unwavering Resolve as I wrote this part 🥰


	5. Chapter 5

Okay! So I had this entire chapter planned out, then I changed my mind, and that resulted in me re-writing the entire chapter and having to change fifty things later in the story. Don’t you just love the creative process?

As a result, I wrote way too much and split the chapter into two parts. Double update! Yay!

* * *

While she’d gained a companion and some information in Egypt, Cassandra decided there was no point staying any further, but found herself absolutely bewildered as to where to go next. Yun-seong knew nothing of anything Soul Edge-related in Asia, having spent most of the past year exploring the mainland continent, and they both agreed the idea of traveling anywhere in the world with no information was rather intimidating.

“Hello, you two,” said Amal with an easy smile, setting down the glass she was holding. “Funny you should come in.”

  
“Are you saying that because we’ve been here for three days already?” Cassandra asked with a laugh, smiling at Yun-seong as he pulled her seat out for her first.

“My husband is here today. I mentioned you were asking about the Aval Organization, and he was surprised that two… tourists… were so knowledgeable about the Sword.”

Yun-seong opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out. Cassandra sighed. “Okay, you’re onto us. We’re looking for the Sword too.”

“Your business is your business.” Amal set a glass of juice in front of both of them, as a man approached, placing a gentle hand on Amal’s back.

“Are these the two?” When Amal nodded, the man smiled at both of them. “My name is James. My wife has told me much of the friendly travelers popping into our restaurant over the past few days.”   
  


Cassandra blinked, nodded. James was tall, blond-haired and blue-eyed, quite the contrast from his Egyptian wife. James smiled. “I’m from Norway. I was with the Aval Organization for years before I made my escape. Once you’ve gotten wrapped up in their schemes, it’s hard to get out.”

“Who are they?” Cassandra asked.

“They are entrusted with a mission to rid the world of the cursed sword, and find the holy sword. However, if you are discovered to be an Outsider… one touched by the evil sword… it becomes their new mission to rid the world of you.” James accepted a cup of coffee from Amal, and his expression darkened. “All sorts of Outsiders, too. Women, children.”

Cassandra spilled her juice on her lap with a gasp.

“Cassandra?” Yun-seong asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. She smiled hastily, patted at her skirt with her napkin.

_ Children. Sophitia’s daughter? Maybe--maybe that Siegfried is with the Aval Organization! _

“Sorry, I’m all thumbs,” Cassandra said, accepting a second glass from James, who nodded and continued his story.

“There was a man greatly affected by the Sword. He became the Azure Knight, caused more atrocities than I’d like to discuss over breakfast. He was the man the Aval Organization placed the largest bounty on, but they experienced many deserters as a result of their brutal ways. There’s no mercy with the Aval Organization, and if they found a man even resembling Siegfried Schtauffen, they would attempt to eliminate him, even if he wasn’t Siegfried or the Azure Knight, whatever he calls himself these days. Surely you’ve heard of him?”

Cassandra nodded, feeling her mouth get dry, but to her surprise, Yun-seong spoke up.

“In Korea, we know of a sword called the Sword of Salvation… is that the Sword the Aval Organization is looking for? The cursed one, or the holy one?” Yun-seong asked.

“Korean, are you? Do you know a man named Hwang Seong-gyeong?” James asked.

Yun-seong nodded immediately. James smiled. “Seong-gyeong saved my life, long ago. Well, he had a lot of help from his little sister.”

“His sister?” Yun-seong repeated. “You mean-- Mi-na!?”

“That was her name!” James said, looking delighted. “Yes, I remember now. They were from the same martial arts school in Korea. I believe they spoke of a Sword of Salvation, but if it is a cursed or holy sword, I do not know. All I know is the Aval Organization is tracking any source of the strange openings in the sky. They’re referred to as Astral Fissures, created by the Evil Seed. And those affected by the Evil Seed are also Outsiders.”

Cassandra felt dizzy at his description, and Yun-seong reached over and put his hand on her arm, apparently noticing. She covered his hand with hers and gripped tightly, grateful for his support, but to her surprise, his mouth was a thin line and he looked as frightened as she’d ever seen him look.

“Anyway, I thought… if there was anything I could say to help…” James sighed. “The first and foremost place I would suggest is Spain. I left Aval years ago and fled to Egypt, where I met my wife and made a home. However…” He looked over at Amal, who was helping other guests, and frowned. “I don’t miss it. But I do feel as though I’m hiding, and there is something I could be doing to stop them.”

“Then tell us,” Cassandra pleaded. “My sister… I have reasons to think she’s considered an Outsider, too. It’s why I left home. She told me about Siegfried, but she thought he was dead.”   
  


“I wondered why a young girl like yourself would embark on such a dangerous journey.” James looked sad. “As for Siegfried, I don’t know, but… it’s possible. Excuse me for a moment.” He went into the back of the restaurant, but Cassandra and Yun-seong scarcely had time to exchange glances before he returned.

“These are the details of the last mission I received from my commander, a man named Dion. He was in charge of leading a mission to Spain, in search of Siegfried Schtauffen, the Azure Knight. These are old, from nearly two years ago, but it is possible he is still there. The Azure Knight was still rampaging across Europe two years ago.”

“Thank you,” Cassandra said gratefully, reaching across the bar and shaking James’s offered hand. “You’ve been a great help, and given us both some hope.”   
  


“Please give my regards to Seong-gyeong and Mi-na, next time you see them,” James added to Yun-seong, who nodded, still looking worried. “I wish you good fortune, both of you. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“You okay?” Cassandra asked.

Yun-seong nodded. “Yeah. Just… weird, hearing about Hwang, especially Seong-gyeong. We all called him Hwang.”

“You mentioned him earlier, too. Who was he?” Cassandra asked.

“He’s the best student at the dojang. Was, anyway. He’s older than I am, and when he left he joined the Coast Guard. He was sent by our King to go find the Sword of Salvation. He left around the same time I did, but every time I’d hear anything about him, I’d go the other way. James must have met him and Mi-na a few years ago when she ran away too.” He paused. “Who is that Siegfried guy you were asking about? Is he really the Azure Knight?”

“He knows my sister,” Cassandra answered. “She thinks he could help us, so I’ve been trying to find him.”

“Finding one guy in the entire world’s not gonna be easy. What does he look like?” Yun-seong asked.

Cassandra hadn’t forgotten Siegfried’s face. “He’s European, fair-skinned like me. He’s got long blonde hair and a scar on his right eye…”

“And he can help?” Yun-seong asked skeptically. “Then let’s find him. Maybe he knows about the Sword of Salvation too. And the Evil Seed.”

“Spain… Spain…” Cassandra let out a disappointed groan. “How are we supposed to get there!?”

A luxury cruise ship seemed to be the answer to their questions. It was departing for Spain at daybreak tomorrow, and as battered as Yun-seong and Cassandra both were from their fight with the mysterious woman in the pyramid, the decision was a simple one.

“You don’t want to go home?” Yun-seong asked. The ship was planning to dock in Greece before continuing on to Spain.

“There’s just no point.” Cassandra sighed, continuing to study her map. They’d be sailing past Greece, over the Mediterranean Sea, and she felt a pang of homesickness. “Would you go home, if you could?” She pointed to Korea on the map, and frowned at the distance, realizing how far home was for Yun-seong.

Yun-seong shook his head. “There’s nothing there for me anymore. Come on, didn’t you wanna hit the market one last time before we go?”

“Oh, right.” Sophitia had warned her that port towns tended to be more expensive, but they were running low on supplies and couldn’t risk it. Cassandra stuffed her map into her bag, hopped to her feet. “Don’t you wanna buy something warmer? What if it’s cold in Spain?”

“I don’t really get cold. I grew up in the mountains.” Yun-seong scratched his head and shrugged, turned in the direction of the marketplace. “C’mon, before we gotta fight someone for the good stuff again!”

Cassandra frowned. What did he mean, nothing there for him  _ anymore _ …? She couldn’t imagine feeling like there was nothing left for her back home. It made her feel sad. Maybe Yun-seong’s easy smiles and carefree laugh was hiding a lot of pain and turmoil.

_ I suppose nobody goes searching for Soul Edge without having a reason.  _ All Yun-seong had told her was… she couldn’t remember, his reason had been so vague. It seemed to her as if Yun-seong was being evasive… but maybe she just didn’t know him well enough yet.

That had to be it. She was just being silly. Her smile was genuine as she crossed the street to join him.

* * *

After three weeks on the Mediterranean Sea, despite poor Yun-seong puking nearly his own body weight due to his sea-sickness, they were finally back to chasing their lead on Soul Edge in the beautiful seaside city of Valencia, Spain. 

February in Spain was cold and rainy, so sleeping outside didn’t seem to be an option, so they’d gotten a room at the cheapest inn they could find.

“This place seems sketchy,” Cassandra complained.

“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly swimming in extra money right now. We gotta stop living so fancy and save our money for food."

"Going to dinner every night is too expensive. We have to start  _ cooking _ ,” Cassandra said with a groan, dropping her bags beside her bed and flopping on top of it. “At least the beds are comfy. Softer than the ground would be, anyway.”

“The hell are we gonna cook?” Yun-seong asked. “I’m hungry now.”

“Don’t we have any jerky left?”

“No, I ate that.”

“Okay, what about the bread we bought?”

“I ate that too.”

Cassandra scowled. “Did you eat all the rest of the food we had!? Yun-seong!”

“But I’m hungry! I haven't had a decent meal since we left Egypt,” Yun-seong complained, and his stomach growled loudly to punctuate his sentence. 

Cassandra blinked. He might try to eat  _ her  _ if he didn’t get something to eat soon. “Okay, we can cook tomorrow. What are we doing for dinner, then?”

“There’s a restaurant downstairs,” Yun-seong suggested helpfully. “And I saw some guys dragging in a net full of seafood on our way in.”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “You have given this no thought at all, I see.”

Thirty minutes later, they were devouring delicious steaming bowls of paella at the downstairs tavern, trying to decide what to do next. Yun-seong had barely stopped to chew, almost swallowing his food whole, while Cassandra studied a map, traced a circle around Valencia with her finger.

“So this is where we are. Don’t even think about it,” she added warningly, slapping Yun-seong’s hand away from her food. “I don’t even know where to start looking.” If the man the Aval Organization was after wasn't Siegfried, this trip to Spain would prove to be a waste of time. Perhaps they  _ should _ concentrate on finding Soul Edge. 

Sophitia had said her adventure would find her. So far, she’d found a Korean man who didn’t seem to know anything she didn’t know already. Somehow she thought she could hear Sophitia giggling at her from Athens.

“Any ideas? Should we keep going to Toledo, see if we can find that guy the Aval people are searching for first?” Cassandra frowned. "He might be in trouble, if those Aval people are looking for him."

Yun-seong frowned. “Sure, but we might be in trouble too if we don’t find some money soon. How were you making money before?”

Cassandra groaned. “I was doing some side jobs. One time I baked a loaf of bread for a guy. He just wanted me to work in his kitchen, make a few loaves of bread… and he watched the whole time. It was weird, but I got a lot of money from it… what?” she asked, seeing the look on Yun-seong’s face.

“Uhhh, did he make you do  _ anything else _ ?” he asked, looking alarmed.

“What? No. He did ask me to wear this frilly apron, but I didn’t… oh, no!” Cassandra gasped, and Yun-seong burst out laughing. “Oh, ew! I’m so stupid, I’m gonna kick his  _ ass  _ next time I’m in that area-- stop laughing!” she added, shoving Yun-seong, who just laughed even harder.

“Okay, well, unless you wanna do  _ that  _ again--” Yun-seong caught her fist when she swung at him, and continued-- “what  _ else  _ can we do?”

“I did other things, too! I mostly accepted money from people to beat up other people. That was pretty fun.”

“Like a bounty hunter?” Yun-seong looked excited. “I would be down for that.”   
  


“Bounty hunter?” the barkeep asked, staring at them.

“No, no, he’s just got an overactive imagination,” Cassandra said quickly with a smile. Yun-seong nodded frantically.

“Oh.” The barkeep shrugged, resumed wiping his glass. “We get a lot of strange people in here.”

“Nope. Not us.” Cassandra grinned, and when the barkeep was out of earshot, she lowered her voice, leaned in to Yun-seong. “Strange people? Should we ask if he knows about…  _ you-know-what? _ ”

Yun-seong opened his mouth to answer, but the nosy barkeep was already back, this time setting two steaming cups of coffee in front of them.

“Didn’t mean to startle you kids.” The barkeep smiled in apology. “Many foreigners have been in and out of here lately. Almost as if there’s something going on, something we should be worried about. I noticed you kids have weapons. Not safe these days without one, but walking around armed… you might attract some unwanted attention.”

“Like what?” Cassandra asked.

“A local group appeared recently. They say they’re protecting us, but what they’re really doing is frightening everyone. People are afraid to leave their houses.”

Yun-seong snorted. “What’s so scary about them?”

“Nothing,” interrupted a nearby woman, drinking with a man. “They’re protecting you.”

“Funny way of showing it.” The barkeep looked angry. “They’re not sent by the Queen, either, so without royal decree they have no authority. But that won’t stop them. They’re vigilantes.”

The woman smiled, aware she had the attention of the room. “You’re wrong. They’re not taking weapons. What they’re really looking for is a sword. A legendary sword, or so they say. Until they find the sword they want, they’ll never stop searching. The  _ Malebranche _ is only looking out for the good of the people.”

“ _ Malebranche _ ?” Cassandra repeated, tilting her head.

The woman smiled. “Yes. There is nothing to fear unless you have something to hide.” She got up, as did her companion, and they both left in silence.

"Well, that wasn’t suspicious at all," Cassandra commented with a roll of her eyes.

“The only bad thing about working so close to a port.” The barkeeper sighed. “I don’t mean to frighten you. Just thought it best to warn you of what’s out there.”   
  


“Oh. Well, they definitely didn’t frighten us,” Cassandra said, and faked a yawn, smiling apologetically at Yun-seong. “I guess we should get upstairs. I’m feeling very sleepy.”   
  


“You just had coffee.” Cassandra kicked Yun-seong under the table, and he winced, nodded immediately.

They made their way upstairs, and Cassandra locked the door behind her breathlessly. “You heard that?” she asked excitedly. “Our first lead, and it just fell right into our lap!”   
  
“She was totally trying to lure us into a trap,” Yun-seong disagreed. “I dunno if we should take the bait like that. What if there’s a lot more of them?”

“Oh, no, more people to beat up? When has that ever been a problem?” Cassandra smiled when Yun-seong shrugged. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous. We went with your pyramid idea last time, and look where that got us!”   
  


“Beaten up,” Yun-seong agreed. “Alright, fine, we can take these guys down. Then everyone in this town would be safe again, right?” 

“And maybe there’s a reward!” Cassandra said excitedly. “We should go look for them now! If they're as obvious as that woman was, then they’ve got to be pretty easy to find.”

  
“You said you were sleepy!”

“That was to get out of there! That was the strongest coffee I’ve ever had. Hurry up, change and let’s go!”

* * *

Their enthusiasm didn’t pay off, and the only thing of interest they saw were several stray cats, which they petted and fed. After the food ran out and the kitties lost interest, Cassandra frowned. “Do you see those people?”

Yun-seong squinted, shook his head. “No.”

“They were in the restaurant, too. And they’re Asian, right? They stand out a lot.”   
  


“I didn’t notice,” Yun-seong admitted. “Man and a woman, it looks like.”   
  


“The man had a staff and the woman had a sword,” Cassandra reported. She’d mostly noticed because the man had not been wearing a shirt, and his chest was even more muscled and toned than Yun-seong’s was, if that was actually  _ possible _ , but she wasn’t about to tell Yun-seong  _ that _ .

“Hmm. You think they’re with that Mally group?”

“ _ Malebranche _ , and maybe. Who knows. I’m beginning to lose track of all the groups we need to keep up with.”

“Beat ‘em all up, I guess,” Yun-seong agreed, yawning. “Maybe we should call it for now.”

“Yeah, I guess. It looks like it’s going to rain soon, too. Maybe these big, scary weapon thieves are afraid of the dark.” Cassandra accepted Yun-seong’s hand up, and they returned to their inn.

* * *

Cassandra stared at the man in front of her.  A man with long blonde hair, flowing behind him like a cape, held a huge, crystal sword.  _ Where are we _ ? They looked to be standing in the remains of a castle, but it looked to be on fire. The man was looking at her with such concern…

“Cassandra, step aside.”

She began to cry, shook her head. “No. I won’t. Not Sophitia.  _ Please,  _ Siegfried…”

“Cassandra.” Siegfried stepped closer, grabbed her face in his hands. “You know what has to be done.”

“NO!” Cassandra screamed, shoved him away from her with her white gloved hands. “I won’t let you. I won’t let you kill her!”

“Cass…” Sophitia’s weak voice behind her made her whirl around, and she gasped. Her sister was on the ground, visibly weakened by numerous wounds. Her eyes were red, and her white Grecian dress was stained with blood, and in her arms she held a small girl, unmoving. “Please… if it saves Pyrrha…”

“No!” Cassandra sobbed, and sunk to her knees beside her sister. Siegfried approached, and she looked up at him. “Siegfried, no.”

Siegfried shook his head. “She isn’t your sister anymore. She’s—”

“What do you know!?” Cassandra howled. “You don’t know this for sure!”

“I do know. Better than anyone. I... I...”

Sophitia cried out suddenly, clutched the girl in her arms as a tremor of pain seemed to spike through her body. Cassandra gasped, reached for her sister, and recoiled as the crimson energy radiating through Sophitia’s body shocked her. The sword beside Sophitia--there was no way Rothion could have created such a sinister-looking blade. It had an  _ eyeball  _ on the shield, staring at her unblinkingly.

“Sophitia!” she wailed.

Despite the immeasurable amount of pain she must have been in, Sophitia twisted around, looked past the other Cassandra at the blonde man. “Siegfried… do what… must be done.” She managed a smile, closed her eyes. Siegfried nodded grimly. Cassandra screamed, lunged for her weapons.

“NO!” She leapt to her feet, pointed her sword at Siegfried. “I’ll do it. You don’t know what I’ve done already. You won’t lay one finger on Sophitia. She doesn’t know what she’s saying! She--”

Siegfried looked pained. “I can't let anyone stop me. The Evil Seed—”

“But my niece. My sister!” Cassandra's voice broke, and she wailed in anguish.

Siegfried laid his sword down. “I’m sorry. This is… all my fault. Soul Edge’s influence…” He stepped closer, drew her in his arms, and she squeezed her eyes closed, felt tears roll down her cheeks. She was surprised at how safe she felt in Siegfried’s arms…

_ He’s the enemy. He’s going to kill your sister! _

With a gasp, she pushed Siegfried away, and grabbed his sword, grunted with the weight. The eyeball sword stared at her, and she snarled at it.  _ That’s it. That’s gotta be it _ !

She raised Siegfried’s massive sword, ignored Siegfried’s scream, and she smashed the eyeball sword with one hit. Then she brought it down on the shield too, shattering both weapons into red shards. The red sword exploded in a swirl of blue and red light, knocking Cassandra backwards into Siegfried, who held tightly to her. "Get off of me!" Cassandra shouted, but Siegfried kept his arms around her waist.

Sophitia's cries had subsided, and she lay still. So did the small girl in her arms. Cassandra gasped. “No…”

Siegfried looked anguished. “I’m… I'm so sorry. Her life was too closely linked to Soul Edge’s…”

He continued to hold her, and Cassandra sobbed in his chest, accepting his comfort. But then she looked up, at the crystal sword, and her eyes narrowed.

She shoved Siegfried backwards again, and approached the crystal sword, her face set. The crystal sword was speaking, emitting a blinding white light. “The decision is not yours to make... the light of humanity cannot be extinguished…”

“And it's yours?” Cassandra shouted, grabbing the sword’s grip. “After everything you've done—to the world, to Siegfried, to Sophitia—you dare to call yourself the light of humanity!?”

“Cassandra, NO!” Siegfried shouted.

“ _ Get serious _ !” With her own hands, Cassandra yanked as hard as she could, and the crystal sword broke in half once before shattered. The wind died down immediately, the sky turned grey.

Siegfried moved towards her, looking furious. “What have you done?” he asked, grabbing her shoulders.

“What—happened?” Cassandra whispered. “Sophitia…?” Sophitia was still, the girl beside her as well. 

"Worry not about your sister, girl…"

An explosion sounded, and a portal ripped open in the ground. Cassandra cried out, reached for Siegfried, who let out a shout of horror and reached for her outstretched hand. 

Then she was being sucked backwards into the portal, unable to stop herself from falling. She screamed as loudly as she could, but there was no end in sight to where she was falling to...

  
  


“Cassandra. Hey. Cassandra!”

She woke up with a gasp, sitting up and kicking the sheets away from her legs. Yun-seong was sitting up beside her, holding her shoulders, looking concerned.

It was only a dream. Only a dream. Sophitia was fine, Siegfried wasn’t here-- she stared at her hands, which couldn’t stop shaking, and she pressed her hands to her cheeks, surprised to find tears there. She laughed nervously.  _ Only a dream. Only a-- _

“You were crying in your sleep,” Yun-seong told her, looking very worried. “You all right?”

_ Only a dream. Sophitia is fine. _ “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Cassandra managed, rubbing her face, willing herself to stop crying. “Just a bad dream. They happen sometimes.”

“I have bad dreams too. You wanna talk about it?” Yun-seong suggested.

Cassandra looked at her friend. Something about his concerned face reminded him of her sister, and she began to cry again. “My… my…” Yun-seong hesitated all of a second before holding his arms out, and she scooted closer, leaning her head on his shoulder, beginning to sob as he wrapped his arms around her.

“It’s okay. You’re safe,” he mumbled.

“Not me… my sister,” Cassandra managed, trying to find words. Every time she closed her eyes, it was like she saw Sophitia writhing in pain again. “The Sword… she dies…” Her voice broke, and she started to cry again. 

“Isn’t your sister in Athens? She’s fine,” Yun-seong told her. “That’s why you left, remember?”

“No, it was… in the future… she had a baby, and the baby was infected with evil energy. I left home to try and stop it from happening, to save her daughter…”

She hadn’t said any of this out loud before. The secret had been inside her, consuming her every thought. But… right now, in their room at the inn, in the darkness, maybe it was safe enough to tell someone. Yun-seong would believe her…

“I never told you why I left,” she said, pulling back from Yun-seong and taking a breath, wiping her eyes. “This happened a few weeks before my sister’s wedding. I went to the Athena shrine, and one of those fissures opened up. From the fissure came… well, me. From the future. A future where Sophitia died, and I tried to save her. But I couldn’t do it, and I got… sucked into the fissure.” 

Yun-seong looked confused, but hadn’t moved. She took that as her cue to continue talking. “We fought, and that’s how I got the power I have now. She told me I have to change the past, to ensure the tragedies in the future don’t happen. Everything I do, everything that happens… I always wonder if I’ve done enough to change anything. Or maybe I’m still doing everything wrong, and setting things up for disaster. And there’s no way to know…” She began to cry again, and Yun-seong pulled her in for a hug again. 

“Was I there, at all?” he asked suddenly.

Cassandra shook her head, and Yun-seong grinned, grabbed her shoulders again. “Maybe that’s it, then! You didn’t meet me in the… other version of things. I saw you when I first looked at White Storm. I told you about White Storm. This has gotta be what you’re supposed to be doing. And I’m not gonna let anything happen to your family either.”

Cassandra had no words, and simply nodded, wiping her face. “Thank you,” she said finally. 

Yun-seong nodded. “What else are friends for?” He hugged her again, and Cassandra closed her eyes, accepted his comfort.

“Stay with me?” The bed was big enough for the two of them, but hopefully Yun-seong wouldn't think it was a weird request. She was still shaking.

He nodded, relieving her. “Um, okay. But I should probably… put some pants on.”

“Ew!”

“What!? I was sleeping!”

Cassandra’s eyes fluttered closed. Sophitia was fine… she was going to be fine, no matter what Cassandra had to do.

Her last thought before she fell back asleep was an odd one.  _ Yun-seong’s not snoring... _

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra and Yun-seong get to know each other better as they investigate the mysterious Malebranche gang, and Cassandra learns why Yun-seong left Korea in the first place.

They spent the morning exploring the beach, visiting shops, enjoying the beautiful weather and sea breeze. To any passerby, they looked like carefree tourists, but in reality, they were trying to attract any attention they could. If this Malebranche was after weapons, Cassandra reasoned, they probably knew about Soul Edge. And if they knew about Soul Edge… it was worth any trouble it might take luring them in.

Yun-seong hadn’t mentioned any of the events of the previous night, which Cassandra was grateful for. She was also grateful for the distractions of the day, helping tremendously to keep her mind off her sister.

“Getting hungry?” Yun-seong asked, interrupting Cassandra’s thoughts.

“I don’t know if we can afford another dinner,” Cassandra said sadly, her growling stomach countering her statement. She sighed.

Yun-seong shook his head. “We could just go fishing.”

“I don’t know how to fish!” Cassandra complained.

As it turned out, Yun-seong did. He was also a great cook. She was no slouch, working in a bakery for half her life, but she very well couldn't whip up a loaf of bread on the sandy beach. She could build a fire, however, and together they fashioned a makeshift grill for the fish they’d managed to catch. Cassandra stabbed one in a frustrated rage, and he’d caught the other two with a spear he’d made from a stick and a sharp knife.

“Oh, wow,” Cassandra said in delight. “Wow. Forget Soul Edge, you should be a chef.”

“My dad was, and he taught me,” Yun-seong told her, fishing through one of his bags for something. “Before he died he wrote all his recipes down for me. He used to do a really good _Godeungeo gui_ , but I guess his recipe works for all kinds of fish.” He pulled out a worn book, and showed it to her.

“You brought it with you?” Cassandra asked, smiling as she flipped through the pages. “I wish I brought something that belongs to my family. I miss them.”

“I miss my _Appa_ ,” Yun-seong echoed, and smiled at the confused look on her face. “My dad. He's been gone for over ten years, but I still really miss him.” Something else fell from the book, and he lunged for it, looking embarrassed.

“What’s that?” Cassandra asked with a grin. “You got a naughty picture? I want to see!”

They had a furious fist-fight, and Cassandra emerged victorious, grinning as she forced Yun-seong into the ground (she was sitting on his back). “Gotcha!” she said cheerfully, and flipped the picture over. “I have no idea who this is.” She studied the picture anyway. It was a portrait of a girl, a very pretty girl. Her long hair was worn in an elaborate bun, and she was wearing an outfit that even to Cassandra’s eye looked expensive.

“Hey!” Yun-seong said, twisting himself around, putting his hand on Cassandra’s face and shoving her backwards. “She is none of _your_ business!”

Something clicked in Cassandra’s mind. “That’s _Mi-na_ , isn’t it?”

He gaped at her, looking like the fish they'd eaten earlier. “How did you know that!?”

Cassandra shrugged. “Maybe I can read minds. Maybe you say her name in your sleep sometimes. Maybe both.” She laughed at the look of horror on his face. “You bring her up all the time! Any story you have from back home, it’s either Min-jun or Mi-na, or Hwang. And I'm pretty sure Mi-na is the only girl you’ve ever mentioned.”

Yun-seong’s face was so red it nearly matched his hair. “I don’t… really want to talk about her. I’m sorry.” He actually looked so miserable Cassandra felt bad, but her curiosity was piqued nonetheless. _Yun-seong said there was nothing for him back home_ …

“She’s… not dead, is she?” Cassandra asked hesitantly.

That got a surprised laugh out of him, much to her relief. “No. She’s fine, back home in Korea. She’s just… probably really angry at me.” He laughed bitterly, looked over at his sword, lying on his pack. “White Storm is one of her family’s weapons. She let me borrow it. I left without saying goodbye.”

Cassandra didn’t know what to say to that, and they finished their dinner in silence. She was trying to think of something to say to change the subject when thankfully Yun-seong did it for her.

“Y’know, these guys are looking for weapons, right? Maybe we’re not being obvious enough, walking around armed.” Yun-seong grinned. “What do you say we make some noise? I think we should train together. Big beach like this, we got plenty of room. And the sun’s not gonna go down for at least another hour.”

“Really? You might die,” Cassandra admitted. “I don’t know how to train, so I usually just go for people’s throats. Sophitia would get really angry at me.”

“You’re not even gonna reach mine,” Yun-seong promised, raising his sword. “But we don’t have training weapons, so non-lethal force, got it? Make it flashy, we want to show off and lure these assholes in!”

Cassandra shrugged, drew her weapons. “Okay. Let’s go!”

Their first few swings and kicks were experimental; Yun-seong was much taller and more creative with his kicks, giving him more reach and many more opportunities to hit her, but Cassandra side-stepped nearly all of them, using her shield to block his final one. She grinned. “Over here!” she yelled, jumping behind him.

He turned, messed with his hair as he did, and took a few steps backward before leaping at her in another kick. She blocked with her shield, and he used her shield to get the momentum to leap backwards in a flip.

“How the hell did you do that!?” Cassandra shouted, but Yun-seong grinned and shrugged.

“I got moves you wouldn’t even believe,” he answered. “Come on, try and hit me!”

Music to her ears. This was _fun_. She bounced from foot to foot eagerly, watching Yun-seong’s movements, trying to figure the best angle to attack him.

 _Head-on works just fine._ With a shout she charged, and he jumped out of her way immediately, throwing his head back and laughing.

“Head on?! After you just saw how that one ended? Come on, Cass, you’re not gonna—” Cassandra kneed him in the chest, cutting him off effectively and making him grunt in pain as he staggered back.

“Come and get it!” Cassandra shouted, lunging at Yun-seong again, swinging her sword at his neck. Yun-seong yelped and dodged, but barely.

“I said non-lethal force!” Yun-seong yelled, outraged. “You trying to kill me!? Take it down a notch!”

“I don’t know how to do that!” Cassandra answered, side-stepping his kick and hitting him in the shoulder with her shield. “I’m over here!”

“Not for long, you’re not!” He swung once, twice, and his third swing collided with her shield, sending her backwards with the impact. She growled, gripped her sword tighter.

“You okay?” Yun-seong laughed. “That all you got?”

“It’s like I told you,” Cassandra began, jumping to her feet. “The best defense is a good offense!” She swung her shield back and forth, Yun-seong blocking each blow with his sword. “Wow, you’re good! Nobody’s blocked that one before.”

The sound of their weapons colliding filled the air with loud, metallic echos. It was hard to get any trash talking in over the cacophony, but Cassandra certainly tried. 

“Stop—trying—to—kill me—for real!” Yun-seong shouted.

Cassandra grinned, lunged at him again, her shield glowing yellow. “Be—better—at—fighting!”

They fought on, Yun-seong’s considerable strength and attack range keeping Cassandra on her toes. Were it not for her divine power the fight would be considerably less even, and she was wondering how good he actually was. _Gotta be a few perks to going to school to be a warrior._

However she’d learned enough from Sophitia (and her future self, actually) to know how to bring a fight to a quick, brutal end. Yun-seong leapt at her, landed on his feet, and when he side-stepped to widen his stance, she swung her left leg in a brutal kick. 

And she nailed the target.

“OW!” Yun-seong yelped, voice slightly higher pitched as he stooped over. “That’s not fair, you--”

“Everything goes on the battlefield,” Cassandra said smugly. “You gonna be okay?”

Yun-seong gave up at that, and with a growl, he tossed his sword aside and tackled her into the sand with a roar. Cassandra yelped in outrage, and their weapons demonstration ended with them both rolling around on the sand, punching and kicking each other furiously.

Cassandra won, and grinned from her perch atop Yun-seong’s back. “Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself!?” she shouted, trying to smack Yun-seong’s face with his own hand, but he wasn’t cooperating, flexing his wrist furiously in her grip.

“Get off, you’re crushing my ribs!” Yun-seong complained, pounding his fists on the ground.

“You’re the big strong man, why don’t you just throw me off? I’m just a _girl_ ,” Cassandra teased.

“Yeah, a girl with divine power who kicks people in the dick! I call bullshit,” Yun-seong whined. “I’m just a normal guy who has to fight with his own damn fists! How is that fair!?”

“This was your idea,” Cassandra answered, but relented, scooting off him and taking a seat beside him, trying to catch her breath. She poked his cheek, grinned when he batted her hand away. “Told you I can handle myself in a fight. That crazy woman was the first person who’s touched me since I left home.”

“I see that now. No sane person would try to fight you.” Yun-seong rolled on his side. “Although I gotta say, it is kinda fun, fighting however you want. Growing up I always got yelled at for changing up my stances or my forms. I never had much of a challenge unless I…”

“Unless you what?” Cassandra asked, but Yun-seong looked lost in thought, an expression she had literally never seen on his face. “Yun-seong?”

“Sorry. I miss home sometimes.” He sighed. “I miss Mi-na. She was always who I trained with, and she would kick my ass if I wasn’t on my guard the whole time.”

“Mi-na could fight?” Cassandra asked curiously. “She looks so feminine in that picture.” Then again, Sophitia was a perfect counter to _that_ sentence. Looks could be _very_ deceiving.

He grinned. “She could thrash me. That was the only picture the dojang had of her on the wall. I stole it before I left.” 

“Because you wanted to look at her every day?” Cassandra sighed, put her hand in her cheek. “That’s sweet. Was she your girlfriend?”

“No.” His tone implied there was some bad history there. Maybe they were together, and weren’t anymore…

“Bummer. Did she watch you eat? Or listen to you snore every night?”

Yun-seong scowled at her. “Shut up or I’m not telling you!”

Cassandra pressed her lips together, nodded her head obediently. Yun-seong rolled his eyes before continuing. “You know I left home over a year ago. Well it was… for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of her. I thought if I came back a hero with the Sword, she would--”

“Fall in love with you? And then you guys could get married and defend your country together?” Cassandra was starry-eyed again. “I’m sorry! I like love stories, okay?” 

That made him snort. “It’s not a love story.”

“How is it not a love story?”

“Uh, she's in Korea and I’m sitting in the middle of nowhere with you. What kind of happy ending is that?”

Cassandra had to give him that one. “I have a bottle of wine in my bag.”

Yun-seong scowled. “Get it out then.”

* * *

_September 1584_

He was scheduled to leave next week. Master Seong had pulled out all the stops for him. He’d gotten to perform at the Hwangseo Palace by himself for his future commanding officers, and Master Seong even had a portrait painted of him to hang on the wall of other distinguished soldiers who had graduated from the dojang.

“I haven’t even done anything yet,” Yun-seong protested, but he’d sat for the artist anyway. He ended up not liking the picture, and he couldn’t help noticing how many of his peers on the wall were dead.

He’d also begun training with Hwang Seong-gyeong himself. It’d been something he’d wanted as long as he could remember, and now, sitting flat on his ass with Hwang glowering down at him, he was wondering why.

“That’s not good enough. Get up,” Hwang ordered. “Now!”

Yun-seong got to his feet, glared at Hwang. “Give me a chance to get up, then!”

“Watch your mouth. If I was the enemy, you’d already be dead.” Hwang shook his head. “Your technique is fine, but your defense is full of holes, and you’ve got a lot of room for improvement. If you think you stand any chance against someone _actually_ trying to kill you--”

 _How am I so bad at this!?_ Hwang raised his sword, beckoned for Yun-seong to attack him again. Yun-seong lashed out, swung at Hwang with everything he had, chaining his attacks together as he went. He watched Hwang’s movements. _He’s gonna go left, so I should--_

He kicked to the left, and Hwang grunted, side-stepped and swung. Yun-seong blocked the blow, leapt backwards, and launched himself at Hwang again in a series of quick kicks. Hwang blocked, side-stepped, and walked right into Yun-seong’s kick.

His kick collided with Hwang’s jaw, and Hwang coughed, raised his fist to wipe the blood on his lip.

“Good. All right. Let's do it again.”

This was supposed to be everything he had ever wanted, but he felt sad and empty inside… and he was fairly certain he knew why. 

Things had never gone back to normal with Mi-na, and while he definitely didn’t regret sleeping with her, he didn’t realize how much he missed her until they just never spent time together anymore. He didn't even care that she and Hwang thought there was something wrong with him. He just wanted to see her. The last time they’d spoken, she’d called him a coward and stormed off. The thought of leaving the dojang with things so shaky between them hurt, but he didn’t know how to fix things, either.

Hwang had made it back to the dojang often enough, but Hwang was a Commander and needed to find new recruits. Yun-seong doubted he himself would have anything in the way of free time for a long time, and particularly not the free time necessary to visit the Master’s daughter… not that she wanted to see him anymore anyway.

Despite giving it his all, Hwang was beating him soundly every time they fought, and he’d never been more frustrated. There was just no way he’d ever beat Hwang, and it was eating at him, consuming every waking moment of his day.

_How can I ever get any stronger if I can’t beat one man!? How is it possible that he’s beating me, every day!?_

The only answer seemed to be training more. Long after Hwang left him, Yun-seong would stay outside, pushing his body far past his limits, long after the sun went down. He barely slept, tried to stay awake by any means… but Hwang was noticing. And unbeknownst to him, so was someone else.

He was in the middle of a complicated chain of attacks, trying to remember if he was supposed to concentrate on someone on his left or someone on his right, when a sudden boot to his back broke his concentration and sent him stumbling forward. He whirled, and standing there with a scowl and Scarlet Thunder, was Mi-na.

He stared at her for a moment, mouth agape, before he finally caught his composure and stood up straight, running a hand through his hair casually, hoping she didn’t notice how breathless he was. “Uh, hey?”

“ _Hey_ ,” Mi-na answered. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Training?” Yun-seong offered. _She looks like she’s going to punch me._ A strange part of him wanted her to.

“Is that what you call it now? Hwang told me you’re out here every night brutalizing yourself. What exactly are you trying to do, keel over?” Mi-na asked. “Are you that desperate to prove yourself you’re pushing yourself _this hard_? Did getting your ass kicked by Hwang break something in your head?”

“The hell do you care?” he asked irritably. “You called me a coward. This is how I stop being one.”

Mi-na still looked angry. “Who cares what I said!? I say lots of things, it doesn’t mean I _meant_ it!”

“Okay, then what _did_ you mean!? I’m not a coward, then?”

“Figure it out yourself!”

He stared at her. “That's not an answer!”

Her lips twitched like she was going to laugh, and the tension between them eased considerably. Mi-na seemed to pick up on it and immediately fixed her pretty features into a scowl, kicking a rock. 

“Look, at some point, you're going to have to do something about something, okay? Take it from me. You don't want to have any regrets.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Since when did you start giving life advice? You're not _that_ old.”

“I'm twenty-one! I'm not old at all! You take that back!” Mi-na complained, punching his shoulder while he laughed.

“Almost twenty-two. Don't worry. You're new to me,” Yun-seong offered, and grinned when she swung at him again, catching her fist this time.

“Let go so I can punch you,” Mi-na complained, but Yun-seong's hand was much bigger and dwarfed her small fist easily. She looked up at him, and he found himself unable to look away from her. She opened her mouth, closed it again.

“What?" he asked.

“Um, I had an idea!” She scooted back. “You’re looking for a challenge, right? You want to get strong enough to beat Hwang?”

Yun-seong was at a loss here. “Uhhh… yes? Did you just meet me?”

“You want a fight, I’ll give you one. If you can take down Seong Han-myeong’s daughter, then maybe that’ll finally put an end to all that self-doubt festering in your head.” Mi-na pointed Scarlet Thunder’s blade at him. “Do you accept my challenge?”

“I’ve beaten you before!” Had she lost her mind? The blazing look in her eyes told him she hadn’t.

“It was your birthday, I went easy on you.” She raised an eyebrow. “Are you really going to insult a warrior by not accepting her challenge?”

So be it then. “I accept. I--” Mi-na leapt backwards gracefully before she swung at him. Yun-seong stumbled, avoiding her strike narrowly. He felt the blade as it whizzed past him, and were he even a second slower he’d probably be bleeding badly.

“Ow! At least let me get ready first!” he said angrily.

“You’ll never be ready,” Mi-na laughed, spinning her weapon and pointing the bladed end at him. "Come on!"

He had been fighting Mi-na for years now, but she never failed to impress And she really had been taking it easy on him, last time they’d fought on his birthday. He still could hardly believe how strong she was, and her high kick missed his jaw by an inch. He knew Mi-na better than that; this wasn't just for his benefit, this was a vent session for her, too. She had a lot of frustration built up and wanted to beat the stuffing out of him to deal with it. Still, they weren't using training weapons.

Mi-na’s weapon made her an excellent long-range opponent; the only time he could actually go on the offensive was when he crowded her, kept in her face so she didn’t have room to move. She was prepared for that, too, grabbing him and leaping over his head, sending him crashing to the ground behind her. Scarlet Thunder was so heavy it could send a man his size flying if used properly, and Mi-na had mastered it.

“Ow.” He got up, wiped his bloody mouth. “Fuck, Mi-na--”

“Don’t be a baby,” Mi-na answered. Her eyes were dancing, and the elated smile on her face made his heart catch in his chest. He’d almost be willing to let her pummel him all night if she kept looking at him like that… but he wasn’t about to lose.

He and Hwang had been working on stances, trying to turn a defensive block into an attack. He crouched, and when Mi-na began to move into an attack. She jammed Scarlet Thunder into the ground, used the leverage to launch herself at him in a high kick, which he avoided, side-stepping quickly. He grabbed her arm, pulled her backwards to break her stance, and when she glared at him over her shoulder, he used his momentum to pull her backwards into his grip, keeping his sword close to her neck (but not putting her in any danger, he wasn’t _that_ caught up in the moment).

“Nice one,” Mi-na said, squirming in his grip regardless. “Guess all that cuddle time with Hwang has paid off.” She headbutted him, making him yelp in pain, stomped on his foot, and turned. “I know you can do better than that. Stop holding back!”

Their fight raged on. Mi-na was very good at blocking his strikes with his sword, but his footwork was harder for her to dodge, and he kept trying to knock her backwards with his kicks. He finally managed to land a hit on her, accidentally getting her shoulder a bit harder than he intended.

Mi-na actually yelped, stumbled backwards, but she was grinning. “About time you start taking this seriously.”

They continued to block each other’s attacks until they were inches apart. Yun-seong stared down at Mi-na, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt like he was standing on the edge of something… but he didn’t know what, and he was scared to say it out loud. Maybe he _was_ a coward. Maybe this was what Mi-na meant, by running away.

Mi-na’s gaze wandered. Her eyes traced his chest, his shoulders, and when her gaze reached his mouth, she bit her lip. She looked up at him hesitantly, and Yun-seong’s resolve shattered. He dropped his sword, took her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Mi-na responded immediately. She locked both hands around his wrists and kissed him as though she’d been wanting to this entire time, and it made his heart do a flip in his chest. He walked her backwards until her back hit the pagoda, and her small grunt in his mouth made him pull back.

“You okay?” he managed, but she yanked him back down. Her fingers tugged at his hair and she kissed him again, her tongue sliding against his. He moaned into her mouth, hips grinding restlessly against hers. She made an uncomfortable sound, moved away from the pagoda and sat on the floor.

He swallowed, his throat suddenly very dry as he stared at her. “Mi-na—”

“Shut up, and take your pants off,” Mi-na ordered, pulling her skirt to the side, kicking her underwear off as she squirmed underneath him. He wasn’t about to argue with her, but looked up, made sure they hadn’t attracted an audience before he started pulling at his pants, batting Mi-na’s impatient hands away.

* * *

Mi-na was snuggled beside him, her head pillowed on his chest. She might have dozed off, and Yun-seong was perfectly content to lay here with her, watching the sky darken and stars appear after the sunset.

“I don't know how else to say goodbye to you,” Mi-na said suddenly, and he jumped.

“I thought you were sleeping,” he explained sheepishly, annoyed he was blushing. “Shut up!”

She snickered, and he looked down at her. She wasn’t looking at him, instead staring determinedly at the sky. “When you leave, who knows when you’ll be back. And I can’t exactly do… _this_ with you if I’m married.”

“I wouldn’t tell anyone,” Yun-seong offered stupidly, which made her snort in response.

“Maybe I’ll just run away again. This time Hwang will be too busy to chase me down.”

Yun-seong found he did not like that idea one bit, but Mi-na wasn’t done talking. “Can I ask you a question?"

He nodded. She didn't say anything, and he craned his neck to look at her. He was surprised to see her looking up at him, her big brown eyes focused on him intently. “Mi-na?”

Mi-na shook her head. “Um, never mind, don't worry about it. It's getting late, we should get back. I don’t want a repeat of your possum incident.”

Yun-seong nodded, internally dreading the moment he’d have to let go of her. _Maybe I can get one more kiss for the road._ “I guess.” He stood up, offered her a hand, which she surprisingly accepted.

“Uh, were you gonna stay out here all night?” Mi-na questioned, a glint in her eye. “Because if you want…” She was twirling the end of her braid around her finger, and looked as nervous as he’d ever seen her. In response to that, Yun-seong kissed her again, grabbing her waist and pulling her to him as he fisted his other hand in her hair. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Wanna do this in a bed?” Mi-na asked breathlessly. “You remember how to get to my room, right?” 

Yun-seong didn’t need an engraved invitation. He picked her up and she laughed before clamping her hands over her mouth. “You’re going to get us both caught,” she hissed, wrapping her legs around him anyway, bumping her hips against his. “You could just pound me against that tree over there.”

He groaned, and his cock twitched as he noticed the tree in question. “Mi-na, you’re gonna kill me--”

He made it halfway to Mi-na’s room when she prodded him suddenly. “Hey, you forgot the weapons! Go back!”

* * *

He wasn’t sure if it was Mi-na’s presence, the peace of mind, or frankly all the sex they'd had, but Yun-seong slept better that night than he had in weeks. 

Mi-na still woke him up halfway through the night, but as she’d been stroking his cock and straddling his hips at the time, he hadn’t minded one bit. He’d drifted back to sleep shortly after, and was now slowly waking up to the feeling of Mi-na running her fingers through his hair.

“Mi-na?” Yun-seong asked sleepily. “You okay?”

“Shh,” she mumbled. “Actually, move, you’re hot. And heavy.” He realized he’d been using her as a pillow, his head on her shoulder and his arm around her waist. 

He rolled off her, surprised she actually let him cuddle her, when he noticed the glimmering dao blade on the bed with her. "What's that?"

Mi-na snickered. "Years of training and you don't know what a sword is?"

“I know what a sword is, why the hell are you sleeping with one?” He blinked the sleep from his eyes.

“It's a Seong family treasure… meant to show the true feelings inside your heart.” 

Yun-seong's expression apparently showed what he thought of that statement, and she raised her eyebrow.

"Is that skeptical face saying you aren't interested?" She got up, leaned over and kissed him once, leaving the sword on her bed. “Try it out.”

“Where are you going?” Yun-seong asked, as she slipped into her pink robe.

“I have to pee,” she said, and snorted. “Calm down, clingy.”

Yun-seong took the sword, stared at his reflection for a long moment after Mi-na left the room. Something of a haze settled over him, and his eyes drifted shut as soothing, comforting images filled his mind.

He saw his father, ruffling his hair and smiling. He saw Mi-na, grinning widely at him, Scarlet Thunder on her shoulders. He saw a girl with blonde hair, laughing, bouncing about in an energetic way. He saw snowy mountains, a windmill, another girl with long, pigtailed hair performing a dance atop a wooden platform. He saw heavy rains, a tropical island, a castle that had fallen to ruin. A man with long golden hair, carrying a large massive sword.

What he saw next made the smile fall from his face. He saw a sword, red, twisted and ominous, its eyeball staring at him, as if staring into his soul. He saw a flash of green light. And finally he saw himself, his eyes red, his face bloodied, his skin riddled with red markings, his hands around Mi-na’s throat as she looked up at him in terror--

He jumped, dropped the blade. Mi-na, returning from the outhouse, put her hands on her hips.

"Believe me now?" she asked, dropping her robe on the floor with a smirk, but it faded once she saw his expression. "Yun-seong?"

He shook his head, stared up at her. "Is that--is that what I look like?"

"What?" Mi-na asked, crossing to him, taking a seat beside him on her bed and taking his hand, running her thumb over his clenched fist. "Whatever you saw isn't real, it’s not a fortune-teller. It’s…” 

He didn’t hear anything she said. He couldn’t shake the red-eyed, feral vision of himself from his mind… “Is that what happened to me earlier?” he managed. "Did I do-- that? Mi-na, _did I do that to you_!?"

She seemed alarmed, shook her head as she put a comforting hand on his face. He didn’t realize he had been crying until she gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Shh. You didn't, okay? Come on, go back to sleep. Don't think about it. Maybe you just… there's something you want, that you feel is out of your reach. Maybe you feel frustrated… angry, even. But it doesn't mean we aren't good, inside.”

Yun-seong didn't answer her, even as she pressed against him and wrapped her arm around his chest. He heard her sigh, and felt her soft kiss on his mouth.

"I can hear you thinking from here. Go to sleep," she said gently.

It took a very long time for him to fall back asleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his hands wrapped around Mi-na’s throat.

* * *

“Did you get any sleep at all last night?” Hwang looked oddly amused. “You look exhausted.”

“Still better looking than you are.” Yun-seong was surprised when Hwang actually chuckled.

“I’ll let you have that one.” Hwang shook his head, gesturing for Yun-seong to have a seat on the floor. Confused, Yun-seong waited for Hwang to sit first, then gingerly lowered himself on the ground. His exhausted, shaking legs thanked him, but he didn’t give away any of that in his expression as he faced his teacher.

“I’m leaving again soon. The Emperor himself wants me to go after the Sword of Salvation again.” Hwang had a far-away look to his face, as if he was seeing past Yun-seong. “So… I need you to put everything I’ve taught you into action. Even if these sparring sessions haven’t gone the way you wanted them to-- you just need to believe in yourself. Focus, and don’t get caught up in your demons. You’re much stronger than you think you are.”

Yun-seong stared at him. “I… I don’t understand.”

“You will.” Hwang got to his feet, clapped Yun-seong on the shoulder. “I do think history will remember Hong Yun-seong.” Then he was gone, leaving Yun-seong with far more questions than answers.

* * *

Now he had literally nothing to do. He’d run into Mi-na, and she’d greeted him with such an enthusiastic kiss it had helped improve his mood tremendously.

“My father wants to talk to me,” Mi-na said with a roll of her eyes. “Maybe he found me another husband to reject.”

Yun-seong nodded, knowing all too well how Mi-na _actually_ felt, but laughing all the same. He held her hips tighter, and kissed her again. “Want me to barge in there in a jealous rage?”

Mi-na laughed. “Sure. You can run faster than my father now.” She squeezed his hands. “Come by later?”

He nodded, bit too eagerly, and she kissed him again before heading off. Not even five minutes later, he bumped into a wide-eyed Min-jun.

“You son-of-a-bitch,” Min-jun said, eyes round as he pointed at Yun-seong. “No way. No way!”

“Uhh--”

“I knew I wasn’t imagining things. Hong Yun-seong, you sly dog. How long has this been going on?” Min-jun asked with a shake of his head.

Yun-seong felt a sense of panic. “UHhhh-- you, uh, can’t tell anyone--”

“Tell anyone? Why can’t I tell anyone? Hong Yun-seong, my _best friend_ , is--”

“SHHHH! Before someone hears you!” Yun-seong pleaded. “Shut up, you’re gonna--”

Min-jun looked confused. “I was just teasing. When was the last time you had the afternoon free? I was just surprised to see you here, not with Master Hwang. Did something happen? You look guilty.”

Yun-seong paused. _Oh_ . “Uh, nope. Nothing happened. Hey! It’s Min-jun!” he said cheerfully, scratching his head. “Uh, what’s up?”

“Well, now I know you’re hiding something.” Min-jun shrugged. “Some of the others are going down to the bar in Hanyang. Want to come?”

Yun-seong frowned. He could probably be back in time to see Mi-na later… “Sure,” he said.

“And because you’re shipping out soon, maybe we can get someone else to pay for you, because heaven knows I can’t afford to feed you again.” As they rounded the corner, they passed Master Seong’s office, and a voice was heard.

“So you’re going? Is there even any point?” Mi-na asked. “Why are they sending you on another wild goose chase? I thought we already established there _is_ no Sword of Salvation. Because if there was, we would have found it!”

“The Emperor believes there is a Sword, and he wants it.” Hwang sounded sad. “It’s my duty, Mi-na. You understand, don’t you?”

“Then why can’t I go with you, if it’s so important? Aren’t four eyes better than two?”

Master Seong’s voice interrupted Mi-na. “Mi-na, your place is here. Seong-gyeong--”

“Father, _please_.”

“Mi-na, my answer won’t change. I invited you here to say goodbye to Seong-gyeong, not to try and sway my mind.” Master Seong’s voice was firm. “I’m sorry, but I will not relent.”

“I’m sorry too. Sorry that the son you want is leaving, and you’re just left here with a daughter you have no use for!” Mi-na shouted, tears in her voice. Yun-seong grabbed Min-jun and pulled him behind one of the columns, and his instincts were right, as Mi-na burst out of Master Seong’s office seconds later.

“Mi-na!” Master Seong called. Mi-na’s sobs were loud enough that Yun-seong and Min-jun exchanged concerned glances, but Hwang followed her, rounded the corner.

He handed her a handkerchief, let her get herself together for a moment before speaking.

“Mi-na. You’re not thinking about running away again, are you?”

“What use am I here, doing nothing? Even if I can’t join the military, at least searching for the sword I’d be _helping_. Not just staying here doing nothing!”

“You’re not doing nothing. What’s got you so upset? Why do you want to search for the Sword of Salvation again after all this time?”

“Something is _wrong_ with Yun-seong,” Mi-na said finally, and Yun-seong felt his blood run cold. “I… I had this nightmare that he was… he was like… remember those people in the Middle East?”

Hwang’s voice was quiet, sad. “Those corrupted by the Evil Seed. Yes. I remember.”

“He was… like that. And I’m starting to think he’s been exposed to the Evil Seed too… but how could he be? He’s never even left Korea!”

“Mi-na, if I find the Sword of Salvation and it’s what we think it is, and I destroy it and the Evil Seed… then everyone affected by it should be safe too. Including Yun-seong,” Hwang said. “Isn’t that reason enough for me to go?”

“Reason enough for me to go, too. I can’t just sit here while Yun-seong dies, or worse.”

“He still doesn’t know, does he?”

“I think he’s starting to understand something is wrong. He isn't stupid. Something he saw in White Storm scared him, and he didn't sleep at all last night. I don’t think he knows I heard him.”

“Then how do you know, if he didn’t…” Then Hwang laughed suddenly, and Mi-na’s frantic sputtering just made him laugh harder. “ _Oh_. Well, this is none of my business, then, is it?”

“Shut _up_!”

Hwang hadn’t stopped laughing. Yun-seong’s face was burning with embarrassment. He didn’t dare look at Min-jun.

“Please stay here. It’ll be harder to concentrate on my mission if I have to look over my shoulder for you and Yun-seong constantly.”

“How do you know I’d bring Yun-seong with me?”

That made Hwang laugh. “I don’t think you’d make it to the edge of the property without him finding you. He was rather furious when you left last time.”

Mi-na huffed. “Oh, you are such a smug jerk! You think you know everything, don't you!?”

Hwang laughed again. Yun-seong caught the surprised look on Min-jun’s face, looked away as he felt his face get hot.

“But that’s what doesn’t make sense. If Yun-seong is… what we… think he is…” Mi-na didn’t appear to be able to say the word she wanted to say, but Hwang was understanding her clearly. “Then why did my father allow him to join the Coast Guard?”

“I don’t think he’s dangerous on his own. He reacted to a fragment of a cursed sword. We saw that happen enough to know how common that is.” Hwang sounded thoughtful. “If he is dangerous, however… being surrounded by trained warriors is undoubtedly the safest place for him to be. If something were to happen… at least no innocents would be--”

Mi-na’s voice was angry now. “Yun-seong is innocent, too. Don’t even _say_ that.”

“You’ve seen nearly as much as I have, Mi-na… sometimes there is only one way of--”“There is always another way.” Her tone implied a finality to their conversation, one Hwang picked up on.

“You’re right. There is.” Yun-seong hedged another glance around the corner, and frowned as Mi-na went into Hwang’s arms, hugged him tightly. Hwang pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“Please come back in one piece.” Mi-na’s voice sounded teary. “You’re annoying, but you’re home.”

“I have every intention of finishing this once and for all, and coming back here, to see you married off to Yun-seong.” Hwang grinned when Mi-na gasped and swatted him. “Take care, Mi-na.”

Yun-seong didn’t hear the rest of their conversation. All he could see was Min-jun staring at him wide-eyed, his expression unmistakably horrified.

* * *

_What the hell is an Evil Seed? Is that what I’ve been seeing all this time? What the hell is_ wrong _with me!?_

Min-jun looked frightened. He’d claimed a stomachache and nearly took off in a run, leaving Yun-seong rather miserable. _My best friend thinks I'm a monster._

His thoughts were a jumble. As much as he would like to go find Mi-na and find a good use for all his frustration, he decided to go for a run instead. He’d never felt so lonely. 

Mi-na hadn’t denied him to Hwang, thankfully, and Hwang’s reaction was almost a relief. But his chest clenched up in a painful way at the thought she couldn’t tell him what she was so worried about.

Min-jun looked frightened. His best friend was afraid of him, and he hadn’t even done anything… except for what had happened a few months ago, which had triggered all of this secrecy to begin with.

The Seong estate, and dojang, was located in the heart of the Korean mountains, both beautiful and private. There were plenty of villages nearby, Joseon and Hanyang being closest, but Master Han-myeong had wanted to be disconnected from nearly everything else, and apparently had succeeded in doing so. It was an oddly warm night, hotter than the previous few nights had been, and despite the frequent guzzles from his canteen, he was surprised how thirsty he was.

Maybe he should have stayed home and slept. Maybe…

A deer ran past him, and he jumped, swore loudly as the animal darted past. Another ran by him, and another. A whole herd of deer running from something… that couldn’t be good.

Yun-seong frowned, peered ahead. He didn’t see anything, and all he had was a small knife. If the deer were spooked enough to run…

Still, perhaps it was worth taking a look. He hesitated for only a moment before continuing along the natural path.

He followed the trail along the mountain, began the slow climb as the path began to elevate. He drained his canteen, exhaled and craned his neck to look ahead.

He blinked. It looked like a light, a bright blue, illuminating the path. He stared at it… and it flashed, suddenly glowing with red sparks. He couldn’t take his eyes off it.

What the hell could be lighting up the mountains like this? This was beyond weird. He found himself wishing he wasn’t alone, armed with a puny knife, but he gripped the small weapon anyway as he advanced. He was a trained warrior, nothing could get the jump on him--

A roar made him shout in surprise, and a warrior lunged at him, armed with an axe. Yun-seong screamed, dodged the swing, and gasped in horror at the sight.

The man wasn’t a man, but a monster. He towered over Yun-seong, but his skin was a sickly, pale color, and he was nearly naked, wearing a shredded loincloth. His arms and legs were wrapped in broken chains, and he carried a massive stone tied to a gigantic stick. His eyes were glowing red, staring sightlessly at him. His bloodstained mouth opened, revealing broken teeth, and he roared again, lunging for him.

Yun-seong dodged the slow swing, but what the monster lacked in speed, he made up for in strength. He didn’t seem to tire of swinging his massive weapon either. Yun-seong hissed in pain as he was struck in the chest, and a quick press of his hand to his wound came back bloody. He grit his teeth angrily, held his knife parallel to his wrist like he’d been taught. His blade was long and smooth, but he’d have to get very close, closer proximity than he was used to fighting in.

He stabbed the monster twice, ripping the blade free and stabbing again in a quick motion. The beast didn’t seem to register any pain even as dark, sticky blood poured out of the wound, staining Yun-seong’s hand and forearm.

The beast swung, and one of his chains rattled. Yun-seong leapt for the chain, grabbed it, and pulled so tightly he felt the blisters on his hands burst with the effort. He squeezed his eyes closed, blocked out the pain, and with one strong kick he sent the monster staggering backwards, keeping a tight grip on the chain.

 _Gotta do this fast._ Yun-seong snarled, wrapped the chains around his arm and wrist and continued his assault on the monster. He wrapped the chain around the giant’s throat and pulled, and even after the monster let out an exhausted gasp and collapsed as dead weight on the ground, Yun-seong held tight for another minute.

He released the chains, realized as the rattling sound ceased how badly his bloody hands were shaking. His chest was bleeding from the hit from the blade he’d taken, although he was lucky it was a shallow strike.

The woods were eerily silent, and all he could hear was the blood roaring in his ears, his own heart pounding in his chest. He swallowed, his throat as dry as sandpaper.

 _I have to get back and warn everyone else._ He probably looked like the monster they all thought he was, standing here with his bloody chest and hands.

 _What the hell was that thing? Is that what the Evil Seed does? Is that what’s…_ He nearly collapsed, unable to finish the thought. _Is that what’s going to happen to… to me?_

His feet seemed to know the way home, but he wasn’t paying enough attention to his surroundings. He was holding his bunched-up shirt to his chest, hoping the makeshift pad would stop the bleeding, but he was distracted and had tripped over several downed branches and scratched his face and arms numerous times.

How had he gotten this far? He had only been running for an hour. Whatever was causing that strange tear in the sky was causing this abomination, and it continued to swirl above him even as he craned his neck to stare at it.

Was going back home the right idea? Frightened and injured as he was, he couldn’t run back home and let monsters continue to spawn. His thoughts went back to the berserk monster he had faced. What if they got to the villages? Or to the Seong dojang, and Mi-na? Not that Mi-na couldn’t defend herself, but she was probably sound asleep by now and wouldn’t know what was happening until it might be too late.

He had to keep going. He grit his teeth and turned around, forcing his feet to keep moving.

He spotted bloody trails, and gasped. There was something ahead, illuminated by the blue and red flashing lights. _What the hell is happening_ …

He gasped as he stepped in something. A chunk of something… something wet. He winced, but right as he crouched down to examine it, he shot back up again.

It was a chunk of flesh. Chunks of something that was once alive. Yun-seong couldn’t even tell what it had been. He stood to his full height, stared at the bloody trails ahead of him… and bit down on his lip to keep from screaming.

A monster was feeding on another monster, one it had ripped to pieces. That was where the chunks had come from--

He stepped backwards, and his heel stomped on a branch, which snapped. The monster looked up, and with a snarl began to approach him, dropping the remains of its meal with a squelch.

Yun-seong braced himself, gripped his knife. This thing didn’t seem to be armed, but if it came from that weird red and blue swirly thing… the aforementioned swirly thing flashed again, brightening the dark forest almost to daylight. Yun-seong got a glimpse of the monster.

Yun-seong’s blood ran cold at the sight before he screamed, stumbled backwards. Because the snarling, mutated, hissing man standing before him was himself.

His right eye glowed red, and his chest had been carved with glowing red lines. He had reddish-brown hair that was matted and filthy, and had only a gaping hole where his left eye had been, and a twisted, snarling mouth. His chest was bare, covered in scars, and his pants were ragged and torn. His left arm was twisted, gnarled, doubled in size. Instead of a hand, he had three grotesque, twisted fingers. In his freakishly mutated hand he held an oddly shaped dao blade. One large, bloodshot _eyeball_ was visible on the blade, the red pupil staring at him, boring into him with its gaze.

The monstrous form of himself staggered forward towards him. His legs weren’t moving. It was like he was frozen in place, rooted to the spot. Yun-seong screamed.

The wind was picking up. The monster lunged at Yun-seong with frightening speed. He barely evaded the blow, but as he turned, the monster kicked him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him, sending him stumbling backwards. His back was against a tree.

_This is how it ends. I can’t even fight back. I can’t move my arms--_

No, he wasn’t gonna die like this. If he was gonna die he was going to die like a man, on his feet. He grit his teeth, swung his knife, missed the monster’s neck but got his chest instead.

He almost expected to feel a stabbing pain in his own chest, but the monster didn’t seem to feel the blow at all. Instead he laughed, his twisted expression more a grimace. Yun-seong couldn’t do anything but stare, feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears as his trembling, shaking legs went out, and he sunk to the ground, staring up at the monster who wore his own face. 

_Is he really me? How can he be me? That was my only chance. Mi-na, I’m sorry--_

“YUN-SEONG!”

Now he was hearing things. Mi-na's voice sounded like she was right beside him.

"Hey!" Mi-na shouted, and he stared at her, frozen in place. She was in front of him, and she knocked the monster back with a shout. She spun Scarlet Thunder, pointed the blade at her opponent before she began a relentless assault on the monster.

“Yun-seong!” Min-jun cried. Yun-seong gaped in surprise as his best friend crouched beside him, pulled him to his feet. “Thank the heavens. I saw you were gone, and I got Mi-na. She--”

Mi-na struck the monster across the chest, cutting a deep gash across his torso. He roared, and she gasped, apparently recognizing him. She looked at Yun-seong in terror, and the monster lunged for her.

“NO!” Yun-seong shouted, but Min-jun got there first, dashing across the makeshift battlefield and protecting Mi-na, blocking the monster’s first strike with a fast parry.

 _Min-jun doesn’t stand a chance against--_ Yun-seong tried to move, but his legs were shaking badly as he got to his feet. _No, that’s not me. I would never hurt Min-jun, or Mi-na--_

The monster stumbled, grinned, and grabbed Min-jun’s arm, snapped it with a quick motion. Min-jun howled in pain and fell to the ground.

“NO!” Yun-seong screamed, lunged for his best friend. Min-jun was panting, his eyes glazed over with pain, and he clutched Yun-seong's hand with his good one. He stared up at the monstrous version of himself, and watched helplessly as the monster raised his sword.

Mi-na kicked the monster, sent it toppling into the ground. “Don’t you even think about giving up!” Mi-na shouted. “Get up and _fight_ , Yun-seong!”

Yun-seong grabbed the sword Min-jun had dropped, and gasped, stared at the sword in shock. It was White Storm, and gripping the sword in his shaking hand seemed to immediately calm his nerves, send a wave of strength through him. He nodded, leapt to his feet. “All right. Come on, you freak!”

The monster roared, swung at Yun-seong. It was like fighting a mirror. An evil, stumbling mirror. Yun-seong blocked his frenzied attacks, but the monster wasn’t tiring and he was, quickly. But Mi-na was with him, and he wasn’t about to let this evil thing hurt the woman he loved.

 _Love. I love her. I’m in love with her._ He had felt like this about her as long as he could remember, but it was only now he could put a word to the emotion. _Figures, right as this thing is about to kill me_ \--

He grunted in pain as another blow connected, sending him staggering backwards, clutching his wounded side. His monstrous alter-ego was approaching, flexing the triad fingers of his freakish, mutated arm. Yun-seong gritted his teeth, forced himself to stand on his shaking legs… and Mi-na attacked again, jabbing Scarlet Thunder’s blade into the monster’s torso, causing him to howl and lunge at her. Mi-na avoided the attack with an easy side-step, putting her in front of Yun-seong.

“Mi-na!”

“I’ll take care of this. You make sure Min-jun is alive,” Mi-na said grimly. She was panting, clutching Scarlet Thunder. She looked more frightened than he’d ever seen her, but she stood between him and the monster.

“Mi-na…” 

Yun-seong gasped, hearing the monster’s raspy, choked voice. _He recognizes her. He knows who she is._

Mi-na didn’t hesitate. With a battle cry, she brought Scarlet Thunder’s blade down and right through the monster’s mutated arm. With a howl of pain, it collapsed in a spray of blood. Mi-na watched, her expression not wavering. It was only after the wind picked up and the portal began to flash again that she lowered Scarlet Thunder, moved closer to Yun-seong.

Then the portal flashed again, and the monster was gone as quickly as it appeared, leaving a pool of blood.

Yun-seong stared, confused. _How is…_ His legs gave out before he could make sense of any of it. He collapsed to the ground on his knees.

Mi-na whirled at the sound, and she dropped to her knees too. Her eyes were huge, and she still looked scared as she reached for his face. “Are you all right?” she asked. Yun-seong was shocked to see tears on her face, and he nodded wordlessly. She nodded, and immediately closed the distance between them by pulling him in for a long kiss.

 _She saved me. She saved my life. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Mi-na._ He returned her kiss, grabbed her waist and pulled her closer, if possible. And that monster thing… that… _me_ … he… _I knew_ who she was…

It was nearly impossible to juxtapose himself in his thoughts with that mutated thing. But his reaction to seeing Mi-na confirmed it. Even like… like _that_ … he couldn’t hurt Mi-na. _But in White Storm I… I had her by her throat…_ nothing made sense. 

They separated, and Yun-seong wasn’t sure if Mi-na was shaking in his arms, or if he was shaking so badly he was affecting her. She seemed unwilling to let go of him, not that he wanted her to.

“How did you find me?” he asked.

Mi-na wiped her eyes. “I had a dream. It was so real I just somehow knew you were in trouble. So I went looking for you, and Min-jun came and found me, told me your bed was empty. I don’t know how we found you so fast, but I’m glad we did.”

Min-jun was breathing steadily. Yun-seong looked away from his best friend and back at Mi-na. “That was… it was me, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know.” Mi-na’s voice was small.

“Mi-na… you have to tell me. I heard you and Hwang talking. What is wrong with me? Am I going to--is that going to happen to me?” He hated how scared he sounded. 

“It’s not you,” Mi-na insisted. “It’s not, okay? It isn’t. I told you, there’s evil out there, evil you can’t imagine. It’s why my father wanted you to stay here. It’s why Hwang went to find the sword again. Hwang and I… we both think the Sword of Salvation has a twin. An evil sword, and only the Sword of Salvation can destroy it. But…”

“But what does this have to do with me?!” Yun-seong asked desperately.

“It’s like I told you.” Mi-na wiped her eyes. “Some people are different. There’s just no way to control it, to stop it. And you… Hwang and I both think…” She began to cry, and he held her tightly.

“You’re afraid of me?”

“No!” Mi-na insisted. “I know you. There’s no way you’re… you’re anything other than who you are. You’re Hong Yun-seong. You’re…” She sighed, worried her bottom lip between her teeth. “Let’s go home. We will probably both think a lot more clearly on a good night’s sleep.

Yun-seong hoisted Min-jun up, kept his arm around his shoulders. “I hope you know the way home.”

“With my eyes closed.” Mi-na reached for his hand, wound their fingers together.

* * *

Min-jun was safely in his bed resting. They'd splinted his broken arm and wrapped it in a sling. Yun-seong couldn't stop staring at him. 

"Come on," Mi-na said gently. Yun-seong nodded, and with one last glance at Min-jun he followed Mi-na back to her room. It was a wordless agreement that he would be sleeping there, with her; she didn't seem to want him out of her sight.

In the morning, Mi-na went to take a bath, but he reached for White Storm again, stared at it.

He saw Mi-na again. How she'd looked before he'd kissed her the other day. The way she'd looked at him as he'd woken up beside her with her running her fingers through his hair. How she’d put herself in danger to kill a monster attacking him.

 _I love her_. It still hit him like a ton of bricks, but in the best kind of way. It was like the fear in him had been replaced by overwhelming happiness, warmth. 

_Maybe you just… there's something you want, that you feel is out of your reach. Maybe you feel frustrated… angry, even._

Her words resonated in his head, everything clicking together at once. She had always been able to see right through him.

He was sure he was losing his mind. He was leaving for the Coast Guard, probably going to become a mutated monster at some point, and on top of that, he was an orphan. Master Seong would never let him court Mi-na, ask for her hand.

 _Ask for her hand_? Mi-na would probably laugh in his face if she could hear what he was thinking.

Or maybe… maybe she did feel the same way. _Maybe this was why she called me a coward._

At least she would know how he felt about her. Maybe they'd get a few happy days together before he had to leave… or they could leave together...

He looked into White Storm again, but saw nothing but his own reflection, calm and assured. His resolve set, he rushed from Mi-na's room in the direction of his own to change.

* * *

Mi-na wasn’t hard to find, predictably in the training yard, beating a training dummy. She smiled when he approached her. “Hey, sleepyhead. Are you—”

He kissed her before she could finish, his hand in her hair. When he finally pulled away from her, she was staring at him, her eyes round.

“Uh, you okay?” she asked with a grin. “Can’t get enough of me, huh?”

“Can you stop for a second?” Yun-seong asked impatiently. “Mi-na, I—” He lost his resolve immediately, with the way she was looking at him. “I—I had an idea.”

“Oh, yeah? When does that ever happen, once in a blue moon?” Mi-na asked with a smirk, setting down Scarlet Thunder before grabbing the front of his shirt and kissing him. “I have to speak with my father about something now, but maybe you could come back around tonight, show me your _idea._ ”

“Not that kind of idea,” Yun-seong said quickly, nonetheless filing that information away for later. “No, um. It’s about White Storm. It made me figure some things out, and… I know what it is I want, now.”

“Really? And what is that?” Mi-na asked curiously.

“You.”

“What?”

“You, Mi-na. I… I love you.” Her mouth hung open in surprise, but he kept talking. “I always thought I wanted to join the coast guard, to fight, to protect our home. But if you’re—if you’re not here, then home isn’t home. I dunno if that makes sense…"

Mi-na didn’t say anything. When he’d been looking for her, he knew it was too much to hope that after his confession she’d throw himself at him and insist her father give him her hand—but he definitely let himself hope for a bit more than a blank stare…

He got more than that. She grinned, and before he quite realized it, she was kissing him. When they finally broke apart, he kept his eyes closed, content to just freeze time and stay like this forever. 

Then she pushed his chest gently, and he opened his eyes to see her looking up at him. She was smiling, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.

“Yun-seong,” she began, and he felt his heart sink. She reached for his hand, put her other hand on his cheek. “You… you have no idea how much you mean to me…”

“But…”

_Dammit._

“No, let me finish,” Mi-na said quickly, apparently reading his mind, and he felt his face heat up. “Most of the time, you’re the only person that makes living here bearable. But that’s just not how things work, you know? We can’t just… run off towards the sunset together. What about the Coast Guard? They need you.”

“No, they don’t. Not now, anyway. I have to get stronger before I'm any use to anyone.” Yun-seong shook his head. His mind was running so fast he couldn't stop from blurring out the first thing that went through it. “What about everything you told me about, with the Sword of Salvation and the Evil Seed? Don’t you still want to find it?”

“Of course I do. But…” She looked down, traced the ground with the toe of her boot.

“Then let's go. If we find the Sword of Salvation together we could come back, fight, protect everyone.”

“We would be gone for years. The war would be over by then, and we might not have anything to come back to.” Now she was beginning to sound sad, but he shook his head, squeezed her hands.

“So you're just gonna wait for them to get here? What if this _is_ the only thing to do to protect our home?”

“Hey, I'm the one who told you that.” She was still smiling, but it wasn't her usual smile.

"Are you going to go by yourself? You heard Hwang, I'll just go after you. Let's go together." He paused. "You _are_ scared of me, aren't you? You think I'm gonna become that--that _thing_ from last night?"

"Don't put stupid words in my mouth," Mi-na said, looking annoyed. "Hwang will just drag us both back." She turned away from him, picked up Scarlet Thunder. “We can talk about it later, okay?”

Yun-seong nodded, although he couldn't stop staring at her. He had assumed he'd have to chase after Mi-na, that she'd at least show a _little_ enthusiasm at the idea of leaving. But... 

She stood up taller to press a gentle kiss to his mouth. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

He watched her go, but his mind was already made up. One way or another, with or without Mi-na… he was leaving.

* * *

“So, that was it. I said goodbye to Min-jun, took White Storm, left a note, and took off. I haven't been home in over two years now. Maybe if I did what Mi-na or Hwang couldn't do, find the Sword…” He finished his wine, looked forlorn. “Although I doubt Mi-na will ever forgive me for what I did.”

Cassandra felt guilty immediately, and put her hand on his arm. “Come on, it'll be okay. You have no way of knowing if that mutated thing was you, or what happened to make things turn out like that. It’s like what James was saying. Those Astral fissures are the cause of all this insanity, not you.”

Yun-seong sighed. “I hope so. But as for Mi-na… maybe if I find the Sword and save everyone, she won’t straight-up murder me.”

Cassandra shook her head. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. She’s probably angry you left without her!”

“Really? Let’s ask her. Mi-na, what do you think?” He stared pointedly at Cassandra. “Except we can’t ask her. She’s in Korea!”

“Okay, smart-ass, I get the point. How do you know she's in Korea? From what you told me, she doesn't sound the type to sit still. What do you think happened after you left?” Cassandra asked.

“No idea. Nobody came after me, so I guess I’m free to explore the world. I thought for sure stealing White Storm would get a reaction… maybe they thought I died two miles from Joseon. Or maybe they didn’t even care that I was gone, figured the sword was a good enough price to get rid of me.”

He looked so unhappy Cassandra reached over and squeezed his arm. “I’m sure that’s not the case,” she said kindly. “If you’re the kind of guy to go out of your way to help a stranger, I’m sure you’re well-liked back home.”

“You’re just saying that to cheer me up.”

“Is it working?”

He laughed. “I guess.” He smirked at his empty cup. “You know what? I miss the mummies. Let’s go back to Egypt.”

Cassandra laughed. “Sorry. I was trying to make you feel better.”  
  


* * *

The day passed, and the sky darkened. If there was any time to hunt a malicious band of weapon thieves, it had to be nightfall.

“So, you ready?” Cassandra asked. Yun-seong nodded. Their plan was simple. Despite her relative inexperience with them, Cassandra knew her weapons were valuable, to say nothing of Yun-seong’s sword, the heirloom to the legendary warrior family of Korea, the Seongs. Any weapon thief worth their salt would at the very least take a second glance at their arms.

“Ow!” Yun-seong said loudly, walking right into Cassandra.

“Watch where you’re going!” Cassandra said angrily.

“No, you watch it! I could barely see anything, with that stupid shield blinding me.”

“Oh, blame it on my shield! Meanwhile your stupid sword illuminates all in its path. Why, one look at it, and I feel like I’m a new person! What kind of power could it possibly possess?”

One look at Yun-seong’s exasperated expression made Cassandra dial her theatrics down a bit. “Nevertheless, good sir, advance along your path, and I’ll forgive this invasion of my privacy. I would hate to have to show you the power my divine weapons possess, my weapons inherited by the God of the Forge, Hepheastus, himself!”

“How am _I_ better at this than you are!?” Yun-seong hissed, before he cleared his throat. “Your weapon would do no good against my own. I sure hope you reconsider, lest you face my sword, my heirloom from the Seong family of Korea!”

They heard footsteps, and they both whirled. Standing across from them was a Chinese woman with short brown hair, dressed in red clothes, carrying a slim silver blade. Beside her was a tall man, also Chinese, carrying a staff. Cassandra gasped, recognizing them (mostly because the Chinese man still didn't have a shirt on).

“You were the ones in the bar last night!” she said angrily, pointing her sword at them. “You’re the Malbranche, aren’t you!?”

“The who?” the woman repeated, while the man raised his staff. “Does that mean you guys want to fight us? In that case, bring it on!”

Cassandra lunged at the woman, who side-stepped gracefully and swung at her, bringing her thin sword down on Cassandra’s shield. Cassandra winced with the impact, and glared at her.

“Who the hell do you think you are, attacking us!?” she shouted. “You think you can fight the power of the Gods!?” Her shield glowed yellow at her words, and she sent the woman flying backwards in a glow of golden light.

“Hey!” the woman cried. “No fair, you cheating--” She attacked Cassandra, and Cassandra yelped, taking a hard hit. The woman’s attacks were nothing like Cassandra’s own; while Cassandra tried to hit as hard and effectively as possible, the woman seemed to be dancing, flitting about like a butterfly while keeping Cassandra completely on the defensive, where she was absolutely not used to being. She hedged a glance at Yun-seong, who wasn’t faring much better against his opponent.

"OW!" Yun-seong shouted, getting yet another whack from the man's long red staff. "You hit me one more damn time, we're gonna have a problem!"

"Not used to fighting long-range warriors, are you?" the man asked with a smirk.

"More than you'd think, you--" Yun-seong blocked two of the man's attacks with White Storm, and as the man jumped backwards to attack again, Yun-seong launched himself at him in a high kick, breaking the man's guard and sending him staggering backwards. "HA!" He swung his sword, aiming for the man's throat. "Better quit now, if you want to live!'

"Uh, we're murdering people now?" the girl asked, kicking Cassandra out of the way and jumping to block Yun-seong's attack on the man.

"Only people who attack us!" Cassandra said angrily, from the ground.

"You attacked us!" the woman insisted.

"You're not remembering things correctly," Yun-seong answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Now just 'cause you're scared--"

"I'm not scared," the woman said with a laugh. "I'm with the Imperial Guard for the Emperor. It would take a lot more than anything either of you have to scare me." She put her hand on her hip.

"Oh, whatever," Yun-seong scoffed, mimicking her pose with his hand on his own hip. "Like we're gonna lose to some--"

The woman gasped, covered her mouth with her hands.“No way!" she gasped. She pointed at Yun-seong’s arm. “You’re-- I know who you are!”  
  
“Huh?” Yun-seong asked, bewildered, but the woman hopped on both feet excitedly. 

“I know who you are,” the woman repeated, her eyes wide. “You’re Mi-na’s boyfriend!”

Cassandra stared at Yun-seong, along with the man, Kilik, at the woman’s words. Yun-seong looked flustered as the woman grabbed his wrist.

“My name is Chai Xianghua,” Xianghua explained. “I met Seong Mi-na when she was in Beijing! Kilik, don't you remember her? She had a staff like yours, except it had a blade on it!”

“She… does,” Yun-seong admitted, glancing at Cassandra. “But that doesn’t mean anything!”

“Says you! I was with her, the day she bought this,” Xianghua explained, examining the slightly fraying bracelet that hadn’t left Yun-seong’s wrist since Mi-na tied it on years ago. “She wanted to get you something. You got her the jade earrings she was wearing!”

Cassandra was smirking, and Yun-seong knew he was blushing when he nodded. “Yeah. But it’s not what you think. I was--”

“Oh, whatever,” Xianghua said dismissively, laughing along with Cassandra and Kilik. “I know what a girl in love looks like. And you sure look like you’ve got it bad, too!”

Yun-seong sputtered, and his face was so red Cassandra actually took pity on him. She patted his arm and looked squarely at Kilik and Xianghua. "So you guys... took care of the real Malebranche then?"

"Took care of? As if," Xianghua answered, shaking her head. "We barely broke a sweat."

"They were after our weapons," Kilik explained. "We were listening in on your conversation with the innkeeper in the tavern, but we didn't know if you could be trusted, so we decided to handle it ourselves."

Yun-seong frowned, clearly annoyed to be denied a good fight, but Cassandra was thoughtful. “So. You guys aren’t just tourists passing through, if you took out that whole gang of losers by yourself. You’re after Soul Edge, aren’t you?”

Kilik gasped, and Xianghua frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “Awfully rude for you to just blurt it out like that,” she said. “What do you know of it? Hopefully enough to smash it into tiny pieces if you find it!”

“We know that much. My sister warned me before I left.” Cassandra frowned. “Have you ever heard of Siegfried Schtauffen?”

Kilik shook his head, and Xianghua mouthed the name silently. “I can’t say I have. But your sister… you, with your golden hair and your fighting style. Is your sister Sophitia Alexandra?”

“She is!” Cassandra said, smiling brightly.

Xianghua smiled brightly. “Your sister saved us all. Thanks to her, my job got a lot easier.” She twirled her sword in her hands. “If it wasn’t for her destroying the first half of Soul Edge, I’d never have been able to stop the second half on my own. Kilik and I both owe Sophitia our lives.”

“That sounds just like my sister,” Cassandra said, touched by the smiles on Xianghua and Kilik’s faces. “But… if you destroyed the evil sword, what of the spirit sword? We’ve learned there are two, good and evil…”

“The spirit sword is no longer of this realm,” Kilik said sadly. “It was destroyed. Xianghua risked her own life to destroy the second half of Soul Edge, and her mother’s sword was lost in the process.”

“Your--your mother’s sword was Soul Calibur!?” Cassandra gasped. “What became of it!? If it’s damaged, my brother-in-law is a blacksmith. He can help! He can--” 

Xianghua sighed, and extended her blade. Her sword was silver and blue, and glowed even in the moonlight… but it had a large red eye in the center of the hilt. It stared unblinkingly at Cassandra, and the veiny wings extending from the center of the eyeball made her think of a bat.

“Your sword--” Cassandra was horrified.

Xianghua nodded, and sighed. “My mother’s sword never recovered from the last fight. I don’t know how to purify it.” She glared at the eye, which stared blankly at her in response. “Kilik says it doesn’t give off any evil energy… but I think that’s because of his Dvapara-Yuga.”

“His who and the what now?” Cassandra asked.

“It’s one of the legendary weapons of the Ling Sheng Su Temple,” Kilik explained, showing her the pendant resting on his bare chest. “Thanks to this, it can surpress evil energy. But I don’t know exactly how it works.”

“Seriously?” Yun-seong asked. “So it’s not a Sword of Salvation, then?”

“Who knows?” Xianghua asked, and sighed. “If there’s any hope, it’s got to come from Soul Calibur. But Soul Edge is evil, through and through. Nothing good will come from that sword. If Soul Edge is back in this realm, then I guess I’ll just have to smash it into tiny pieces this time and ensure it never comes back!”

“Hmm.” Cassandra frowned. _I wonder if that’s anything like what Sophitia could do_. “Where does your journey bring you guys?”

Xianghua sighed. “Mostly a way to save my sword. I know your brother-in-law is a blacksmith, but unless he specializes in exorcisms, I don’t know how much help a regular smith would be.” Cassandra nodded in agreement, frowning.

“We’re also looking for our friend,” Kilik added. “Have you by any chance come across a man named Maxi?”

“Maxi?” Cassandra asked, tilting her head. “I can’t say we have.” She looked to Yun-seong, who also shook his head. “You said he was your friend? When did you see him last?”

To her surprise, Xianghua’s eyes filled with tears, and Kilik looked miserable. “Over a year ago. We aren’t even sure he’s alive, to be honest… but unless we keep hope alive, what else do we have?”

Cassandra nodded. “Hope is the only thing that gets me out of bed sometimes. I understand exactly what you mean.”

Xianghua wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Maxi was such a good man too. Neither of us can bear the thought of him being dead. But Kilik doesn’t think he is… and that’s enough for the both of us to go by. So we’ll just keep searching for Maxi, and hopefully that will help us figure out where to go from here.” She smiled. “It’s wonderful to make new friends, though!”

“What’s next for you?” Kilik asked. “Perhaps we can help somehow.”

“My sister made it sound like finding Siegfried Sctauffen was important, and we heard a rumor that he might possibly be in Toledo, so that’s where we’re heading.” Cassandra smiled faintly. Xianghua and Kilik seemed kind, but she didn’t see any reason to be any more specific than that.

“Toledo? That’s the way we came. I guess this is goodbye,” Kilik said apologetically. “Until we meet again.” He squeezed Cassandra’s hand.

“Give my best to Mi-na, when you see her again,” Xianghua said with a grin, kissing Yun-seong’s cheek. “Please take care of yourselves.” She hugged Cassandra tightly. “We both fought alongside Sophitia. She’s in a league of her own. You shouldn’t worry about your sister.”

“I won’t,” Cassandra promised, not meaning it. Xianghua’s smile seemed sad as she nodded.

“Take care. Until next time!”

Kilik and Xianghua were out of sight for a long moment before Cassandra finally spoke up. “So, what’s next?”

“I guess we head for Toledo in the morning,” Yun-seong said tiredly, yawning. Cassandra nodded, catching his yawn and responding with one of her own.

* * *

Days passed, turned to weeks as they trekked across the Spanish countryside on their way to Toledo.

_Siegfried Schtauffen… if you are who they say you are…_

* * *

They were only several miles from the city limits of Toledo, according to the map Cassandra had picked up. Neither of them spoke Spanish, but they’d been able to find a few people whose English had been able to get them where they needed to go.

“I’m hungry,” Yun-seong repeated.

“I heard you!” Cassandra snapped. “So did everyone else in a five league radius. We’re almost there, just get a snack from my bag and hold your horses.”

“I ate all the snacks already,” Yun-seong complained. “And now I’m hungry, and I hate everything!”

“See, up ahead! Lights!” Cassandra said triumphantly.

Yun-seong let out a moan of despair. “Eat,” he managed.

“It’ll probably be a while before we can eat, we need to get settled and…” Cassandra began, but Yun-seong looked so aghast she gave up the ghost immediately. She frowned. “Is the wind picking up, or am I going crazy?”

Yun-seong shook his head, raised an arm over his eyes. His hair was blowing in the gusty winds, making Cassandra bite down a giggle. “No, you’re not crazy… I’ve seen storms like this before. This isn’t normal.”

“Didn’t you mention meeting a priestess who could control the wind?” Cassandra asked. “Maybe you’re just…” A flash of light made her freeze suddenly, and she jumped when Yun-seong suddenly grabbed her wrist. His eyes were wide with fear, and his face was pale.

“Yun-seong?” she asked, but when the wind continued to howl and the sky began to tear apart above their heads, creating a swirl of blue and red lights… Cassandra knew exactly what that meant.

An astral fissure had appeared above Toledo, Spain.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES I changed White Storm, for two reasons--
> 
> #1, we have no idea what White Storm's powers will be in the new timeline (or even if Yun-seong will be IN the new timeline SOB)
> 
> #2, this fits my story better because I want to parallel Cassandra and Yun-seong's experiences with the Astral Fissures
> 
> (Yun-seong is already in the new timeline, Mi-na has mentioned him, but White Storm has not been mentioned yet as far as I know (unless White Storm is an unlockable weapon for Hwang EITHER WAY))  
> 
> 
> Stay tuned! :)

**Author's Note:**

> A bit of a slow start. I have a lot pre-written, so updates will be quick :)
> 
> Also tags will be updated as the story goes on, don't want to spoil anything yet. I'm kinda new to the publishing side of AO3, so if there's anything that should be tagged that I did not tag, please let me know!


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